VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, Inc., a developer of advanced visual prosthetic devices, announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has granted transitional pass-through payment status and established a billing code for the Implantable Miniature Telescope (IMT by Dr. Isaac Lipshitz) under the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System. The new pass-through code, C1840, is effective October 1, 2011, and will enable outpatient facilities to obtain reimbursement for the telescope implant for covered procedures.
The telescope implant is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to improve vision in patients with end-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most advanced form of AMD. Eligible patients must have associated central vision blindness and either stopped responding to AMD medications, or have a form of the disease for which no treatment is available.
“The CMS determination that our intraocular telescope meets the criteria for transitional pass-through payment and the October availability of reimbursement are very positive developments for AMD patients and the ophthalmology community,” says Allen W. Hill, CEO of VisionCare. “The new code will provide a payment mechanism for the telescope implant for Medicare beneficiaries visually debilitated by end-stage AMD. We are training providers and working with the ophthalmic community so that eligible patients can begin receiving treatment next month.”
CMS pass-through payments provide reimbursement for a new technology that offers a treatment option for a patient population unresponsive to, or ineligible for, currently available treatments, or significantly improves clinical outcomes for a patient population as compared to other treatments.
VisionCare’s clinical trial results, which have been published in peer-reviewed articles, demonstrated improved visual acuity and quality of life in patients with end-stage AMD. In this month’s issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, a study reports the intraocular telescope improves quality of life and is cost effective. A summary of the article can be found at: http://www.ophsource.org/periodicals/ophtha/article/S0161-6420(11)00171-0/abstract.
CentraSight Treatment Program
The first-of-kind telescope implant is integral to a new patient care program, CentraSight, for patients with end-stage macular degeneration. The CentraSight treatment program involves a patient management process and access to reimbursement information for patients and physicians. The telescope implantation is performed by a specially trained ophthalmic surgeon as an outpatient procedure.
Patients and physicians can find more information about the telescope implant and related treatment program at www.CentraSight.com.
