Medicare will pay for angioplasty of the carotid artery with stent insertion, the U.S. Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) said yesterday.
Coverage of the procedure applies when percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of the carotid artery is performed along with the placement of a carotid stent. The stent must be furnished in accordance with an FDA-approved protocol governing category B investigational device exemption (IDE) trials, according to the agency.
The procedure is performed to prevent stroke, the third leading cause of death in the U.S., and the leading cause of serious long-term disability, according to HCFA. National coverage was approved as part of the agency's focus on making new healthcare technologies available to older Americans, according to Health and Human Services secretary Tommy Thompson.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
March 21, 2001
Copyright © 2001 AuntMinnie.com
