You will now get paid for billing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tests for patients with FDA-approved cardiac pacemakers on claims submitted after July 7, CMS says in a transmittal released Sept. 26.
Remember: CMS previously considered MRIs a contraindication for cardiac pacemaker patients, as well as those with metallic clips on vascular aneurysms, and would not pay those claims with certain exceptions. CMS did amend its NCD earlier this year to say that it would cover MRIs for patients with pacemakers if they were involved in a clinical trial.
The twist: Medtronic, Inc., one of the nation’s largest pacemaker manufacturers, sent a letter to CMS asking it to revise its national coverage determination (NCD) policy to permit the device which was FDA-approved on Feb. 8. However, Medtronic is the sole producer of the pacemaker, called the Revo MRI SureScan Pacing System, specifically designed not to interfere with MRI tests.
CMS conceded in its most recent NCD revision of the MRI policy that there was enough evidence supporting the safety of the device to permit its use.