Together with its advocacy partner, the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), the Foundation recently hosted a summit on reimbursement strategies for focused ultrasound treatments.
Stakeholders convened in Washington, DC, on March 11, 2020, to discuss the state of US reimbursement for those focused ultrasound applications that have been approved by the FDA. The group discussed the role of advocacy organizations, the use of innovative regulatory pathways, how to conduct procedural cost analyses, and coding insights for focused ultrasound reimbursement, among other topics.
“The summit allowed us to harness the power of our partnerships,” said Jessica Foley, PhD, the Foundation’s Chief Scientific Officer. “Together, focused ultrasound manufacturers can learn from one another’s reimbursement failures and successes. And our advocacy and consulting partners can help advise us on the roadmap forward to speed up patient access to focused ultrasound treatments.”
The approximately 25 professionals in attendance included industry representatives along with advocacy staff from AdvaMed, the Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA), and the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. Group members used a series of breakout sessions to identify barriers, brainstorm solutions for shared coding challenges, and share reimbursement and coverage efforts.
Deliverables from the summit will include:
- A meeting summary that describes challenges and solutions for focused ultrasound treatment reimbursement across several applications.
- A new reimbursement page on the Focused Ultrasound Foundation’s website.
Individuals or advocacy groups that would like to participate in the Foundation’s reimbursement and advocacy efforts should contact Jessica Foley.