I apologise for sending this
Until I fully know what to do to rebuild my neuro gleanings list..........in
very short term I'll figure somethoing out to not clog your e-mail
Have a great weekend
M
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Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Medicare
Medicare To Reimburse Hospitals for tPA Administered to Stroke Patients
For the first time, Medicare soon will reimburse hospitals
specifically for the administration of tissue plasminogen activator in
ischemic stroke patients, marking "what promises to create a major change in
the treatment of acute stroke patients in the U.S.," the Wall Street Journal
reports. The drug, known as tPA, is administered intravenously in the first
three hours following a stroke caused by a blood clot in an artery. The drug
dissolves clots and improves blood flow. Made by California-based Genentech,
tPA is the only clot-dissolving agent with FDA approval to treat ischemic
stroke. Up to 80% of 700,000 stroke patients in the U.S. annually could
benefit from tPA, which costs $2,000 or more per dose, according to the
Journal. Medicare currently reimburses hospitals a flat rate of about $5,700
per case of stroke, regardless of whether the drug is administered. As a
result, "cost has caused hospitals to shy away from using the medicine," the
Journal reports. Under a change to be published next week in the Federal
Register, Medicare will begin paying hospitals a base rate that is about
$6,000 more per stroke case if tPA is administered. Actual reimbursements
will vary by region and hospital. Medicare officials said the $6,000 in
additional funding for administration of tPA is intended to cover the cost
of the drug and the additional diagnostic tests and other therapy generally
ordered when tPA is used. Genentech said the reimbursement change
acknowledges the importance of treating stroke patients with clot-dissolving
drugs but predicted that the impact will be "minimal." Joseph Broderick,
chief of neurology at the University of Cincinnati, said the decision was
"as important as any development since tPA was demonstrated as the first
effective treatment for ischemic stroke in 1995." The change, along with
several others to be detailed in the Federal Register, will go into effect
on Oct. 1 (Burton, Wall Street Journal, 8/4).
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