An application for a new reimbursement code for bidirectional thermal fuses was submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in April. Representatives of the HOT Working Group also met CMS administrators to present the case.
The meeting with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in May was an opportunity to present a compelling argument for CMS reimbursement for bidirectional thermal fuses, in support of a formal application for a HCPCS Level II modification application from BPR Medical.
A delegation of senior executives, representing fire chiefs and burns clinicians, put the case to CMS representatives, emphasizing that the existing ‘oxygen cost bundle’ reimbursement code would not be effective in ensuring bidirectional thermal fuses are installed.
Following the meeting, Senator Joni Ernst from Iowa, in a powerful letter to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, expressed her support for the application, referring to the potential for reimbursement to reduce fire deaths by 15% and save around $500 million spent by Medicare treating burns experienced by home oxygen fire survivors.
The CMS has now opened up a forum for public comment on the application that will take place on November 8.
