title: Declassifying coverage. New guidance documents issued by the CMS may clarify the great unknown of Medicare coverage determination.
abstract: Heard of Section 731 of the Medicare Modernization Act? The provision, meant to clear up the generally murky and unwieldy Medicare reimbursement approval process, could quicken the national approval process for medical procedures and devices. The changes will create a more definable approach to OK'ing new technologies. "I like the idea of bringing more science to bear," says Richard Pico, left.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barr
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D014487:Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.; D004608:Eligibility Determination / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards; D006278:Medicare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States