Listen
Text
- Small
- Medium
- Large
CMS announced that it will no longer cover most uses of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for chronic low back pain, according to a MedPage Today report.
In a memo released Friday and effectively immediately, CMS officials wrote that reimbursement for TENS for low back pain will be available only when patients are participating in a randomized, controlled trial to gauge the clinical effectiveness of the treatment.
"TENS is not reasonable and necessary for the treatment of [chronic low back pain]," the memo said. "Long-standing use of a medical treatment is unfortunately no guarantee that it is in fact clinically appropriate or necessary."
Medicare previously paid for FDA-approved TENS equipment and supplies when prescribed by a physician for chronic pain and reimbursed physicians and physical therapists for evaluating patients' suitability for the treatment.
Mallinckrodt and Zogenix to Collaborate on Migraine Treatment
50 Pain Management Physician Medical Directors
In a memo released Friday and effectively immediately, CMS officials wrote that reimbursement for TENS for low back pain will be available only when patients are participating in a randomized, controlled trial to gauge the clinical effectiveness of the treatment.
"TENS is not reasonable and necessary for the treatment of [chronic low back pain]," the memo said. "Long-standing use of a medical treatment is unfortunately no guarantee that it is in fact clinically appropriate or necessary."
Medicare previously paid for FDA-approved TENS equipment and supplies when prescribed by a physician for chronic pain and reimbursed physicians and physical therapists for evaluating patients' suitability for the treatment.
Related Articles on Pain Management:
Post-Operative Pain Drug Yields Positive Trial ResultsMallinckrodt and Zogenix to Collaborate on Migraine Treatment
50 Pain Management Physician Medical Directors