Insurance Companies are Beginning to
Reimburse for Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy for
Depression
by Charles
Donovan
zone3
Insurance Companies are beginning to reimburse for vagus nerve
stimulation therapy for depression. Insurance companies are giant
bureacracies who have layers of people to whose only job is to say
"no".
Reimbursement decisions are being made on a case-by-by case basis.
According to the manufacturer of the vagus nerve stimulator "the first 90
days of the planned year-long launch of this medical device, the numbers
of physicians and patients actively pursuing VNS Therapy more than
doubled,” stated Mr. Cummins, Chairman of Cyberonics. For vagus nerve
stimulation, 1,239 MDs submitted 3,234 prescriptions.
“The more than doubling in the numbers of physicians and patients
actively moving towards VNS Therapy in the first 90 days after TRD launch
is a testament to psychiatrists’ positive response to Cyberonics’ medical
education programs,” continued Mr. Cummins. “With over 2,000 psychiatrists
and 250 new VNS Therapy surgeons educated and trained in Q2, we are ahead
of our original plan to educate and train over 5,000 psychiatrists and
some 1,000 new VNS surgeons in the year 2006.
The manufacturer continued its statement by explaining that in terms of
national and regional coverage policies, it had made made good progress
with all the major technology assessment organizations and all the major
payers to obtain favorable national coverage policy more quickly relative
to launch than Cyberonics did in epilepsy. Four factors are important in
accomplishing.
1) A rapidly growing list of psychiatrists, patients and patient
advocacy groups are becoming increasingly vocal advocates for parity for
TRD patients in terms of VNS Therapy coverage and access relative to
epilepsy patients.
2)Existing treatment-resistant depressed assessments and coverage
policies are based on extremely limited pre-FDA approval,
publicly-available information.
3)All of the data and analyses that compelled FDA to approve VNS
Therapy as the first and only treatment for TRD are now readily available
from multiple public sources, including the product’s labeling, FDA’s
Summary of Safety and Effectiveness and a growing list of peer-reviewed
publications in well-respected psychiatric journals.
4)Payment rates for VNS Therapy services, such as the 2006 Medicare
payment rates that were posted in the CMS website last week, continue to
increase indicating that VNS Therapy is widely regarded as a safe,
effective and cost-effective therapy.
In the first 90 days after the launch of vagus nerve stimulation
therapy, 22 different payers, including large payers such as:
- Aetna
- Alliance
- Seven different Blue Cross or Blue Shield organizations
- Cigna
- Healthnet
- Medicare
- Medicaid
- and United Healthcare have approved or reimbursed between one and 12
VNS Therapy TRD implants
You can learn more about this remarkable treatment at http://www.vagusnervestimulator.com/
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charles Donovan was a patient in the FDA investigational trial of vagus
nerve stimulation as a treatment for chronic or recurrent
treatment-resistant depression. He was implanted with the vagus nerve
stimulator in April of 2001. He chronicles his journey from the grips of
depression thanks to vagus nerve stimulation therapy in his book:
Out of the Black Hole: The Patient's Guide to Vagus Nerve
Stimulation and Depression with Forwards by John M. Zajecka, M.D. and
Nancy Williger, Ph.D.
The book was exhibited at the U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health
Congress in November 2005. It is available on his web site, 24 hours a
day/7 days a week through the toll free number 1-888-VAGUS-88, and
Amazon.com He is founder of the http://www.vagusnervestimulator.com/ Web Site and
Bulletin.
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