MRGFUS treatment for Essential Tremor now covered by Medicare

Medicare benefit coverage for MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) for the treatment of essential tremor (ET) for six new states including Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Michigan and Missouri. This brings the total number of states with Medicare coverage to 16.

HAIFA, Israel and MIAMI, Florida – July 2, 2018 –Insightec®, a global medical technology innovator of incisionless surgery, today announced Medicare benefit coverage for MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) for the treatment of essential tremor (ET) for six new states including Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Michigan and Missouri. This brings the total number of states with Medicare coverage to 16.

Earlier this year, Insightec announced Medicare coverage for this procedure in Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Additional Medicare Administrative Contractors (MAC) have issued positive Draft Local Coverage Determination (LCD) with potential to expand Medicare coverage to a total of 38 states.

“With Medicare coverage now available in 16 states with that number poised to more than double, more patients than ever will now have access to INSIGHTEC’s innovative ET solution,” said Maurice R. Ferré, MD, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of INSIGHTEC. “We are confident that additional hospitals will be encouraged to offer our technology to improve patient lives, which is our ultimate goal.”

There are currently 11 medical centers in the USA treating ET patients with MRgFUS on a regular basis.

CGS Medicare, Noridian Medicare and Palmetto GBA, local MACs for 22 other states, have posted positive draft LCDs specific for MRgFUS for the treatment of ET. The LCDs will be open for comments, which will be reviewed by the MACs prior to publication of the final LCDs. The pending coverage for these local MACs include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. The status of these LCDs is available on the Medicare Coverage Database on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website.

“Coverage in these six additional states will help treatment centers offer more patients access to the incisionless focused ultrasound treatment for ET,” said Dee Kolanek, Vice President of Reimbursement, Insightec. “Millions of Americans suffer from essential tremor, which can impact a person’s ability to function in the workplace and live an independent and active lifestyle.

About Insightec

Insightec is a global medical technology innovator transforming patient lives through incisionless brain surgery using MR-guided focused ultrasound. The company’s award-winning Exablate Neuro™ is used by neurosurgeons to perform the Neuravive™ treatment to deliver immediate and durable tremor relief for essential tremor patients. Research for future applications in the neuroscience space is underway in partnership with leading academic and medical institutions. Insightec is headquartered in Haifa, Israel, and Miami, Florida, with offices in Dallas, Tokyo and Shanghai.