Stent study not hurting insurance coverage
Device Regulation Alert: Safety, Compliance and Reimbursement News, April 9, 2007
Insurers don't seem to be swayed by a study that seemed to show that certain drugs provide treatment that is just good as stents. According to a Reuters report, insurers are giving no indication that they would limit coverage of stenting as some analysts believed they would.
An Aetna spokesperson said the company has "no plans" to change its clinical policies regarding stents, and the head of cardiology for Northern California at Kaiser Permanente said the study consisted of a "very modest subgroup of patients," Reuters reports.
According to the report, the study was criticized by device manufacturers because the study's findings--that stents didn't prevent heart attacks or extend life better than drug therapy--don't accurately portray what stents are supposed to treat: chronic chest pain. Although the study received most of its funding from the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs, some funding came from drug makers such as Merck, Pfizer and Sanofi-Aventis, according to the report.
The study was released at the American College of Cardiology's annual meeting, reports Reuters.
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