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Medicare regulators’ proposal to start paying for some digital therapeutics products created a wave of enthusiasm when it was released earlier this month. Developers of software designed to treat medical conditions have struggled for a foothold in health care in part owing to challenges with reimbursement. So, getting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to pay for digital treatments is viewed as a pivotal milestone. Comments from key stakeholders about the Medicare proposal probably won’t start showing up in the docket for a few more weeks, but I’ve heard from many industry insiders.
To review, the proposed codes cover FDA-cleared digital mental health treatments that are furnished to patients by providers as part of ongoing behavioral health treatment. The codes allow clinicians to bill for supplying the treatments to patients, as well as to bill for management services, like reviewing data from apps and communicating with the patient. Comments on the policy are due September 9th.
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