In the United
States, BSD Medical's products are purchased
primarily by medical institutions, which then
bill various third-party payers, such as Medicare,
Medicaid, other government programs, and private
insurance plans, for the health care services
provided to their patients, or by managed care
organizations, which directly pay for services
provided to their patients. The Center for Medicare
and Medicaid Services (CMS) has established
23 billing codes that can be used as applicable
for or in combination with hyperthermia therapy,
depending on the circumstances of the treatment.
Appropriate codes apply to billing for superficial,
interstitial or deep hyperthermia, when used
in combination with ionizing radiation therapy
or chemotherapy. Billing codes are available
for both the hospital and the oncologist.
In November 1995, HCFA (now CMS) authorized
Medicare reimbursement for all investigational
therapies and devices for which underlying questions
of safety and effectiveness of that device type
have been resolved, based on categorization
by FDA. All of BSD's investigational (IDE) equipment
and protocols have been placed in this category
by the FDA, and thus may be reimbursed by Medicare.
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