CMS expands reimbursement for implantable telescope

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will now reimburse for VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies’ Implantable Miniature Telescope for bilateral end-stage AMD using a revised ambulatory payment classification.

The outpatient surgical procedure for telescope implantation had been restricted to hospitals due to current reimbursement rules. The company says the CMS ruling provides the mechanisms needed for broad ambulatory surgery center adoption of the treatment, which will significantly improve patient access.

When the new Ambulatory Payment Classification, APC 0351, Level V Intraocular Procedures takes effect on Jan. 1, 2015, reimbursement payment levels will increase overall and ambulatory surgery center payment levels will be comparable to those paid to hospital outpatient departments.

The Implantable Miniature Telescope is indicated for monocular implantation to improve vision in patients aged 65 years and older with stable severe to profound vision impairment (best-corrected distance visual acuity 20/160 to 20/800) caused by bilateral central scotomas associated with end-stage AMD.

In the implanted eye, the device renders enlarged central vision images over a wide area of the retina to improve central vision, while the nonoperated eye provides peripheral vision for mobility and orientation.