Implanted Defibrillator Research Convinces Medicare to Expand Its Use
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WEDNESDAY, Jan. 19 (HealthDayNews) -- New research has convinced Medicare officials that doubling or tripling the use of implantable defibrillators to treat heart failure is economically justifiable.
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U.S. Medicare officials proposed  expanding coverage of carotid artery stenting procedures to  prevent strokes, the agency said in a statement on Thursday.
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A proposal by Medicare and Medicaid to expand coverage for implantable defibrillators boosted Guidant Corp.&#39;s stock price by 5 percent Wednesday as investors bet that the move would increase the company&#39;s sales.
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New studies shed some light on these controversial heart treatments, but many questions remain. What patients need to know.
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A key Medicare coverage decision,  expected as early as Wednesday afternoon, could vastly expand  the $4.8 billion market for devices used to resuscitate  patients whose hearts are beating out of control, doctors and  device maker Medtronic Inc. said on Tuesday.
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An automated external defibrillator for use at home can now be sold over the counter, the Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday.
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Medicare will soon fund implantable  heart devices for thousands more patients, after publication of  a landmark study finding the devices can save more lives, top  agency officials said in a medical journal on Wednesday.
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About 500,000 Medicare beneficiaries, some of whom have never suffered cardiac arrest, became eligible for coverage of expensive defibrillators Thursday in a move that could cost &#36;2 billion over five years.
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Cambridge Heart Inc. , a small, publicly traded company based in Bedford, has suffered a setback in its bid to persuade Medicare to mandate its tests for a registry of implantable defibrillator patients.
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A new group of patients that qualifies for Medicare reimbursement for implantable heart defibrillators may have to wait a few days longer until payment is available, the federal government said on Thursday.
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U.S. Medicare officials on Thursday proposed expanding their coverage of carotid artery stenting procedures to prevent strokes, an agency statement said.
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Kidney dialysis patients covered by Medicare are receiving escalating doses of an expensive anti-anemia drug, despite growing evidence that aggressive treatment raises the risk of fatal heart attacks and strokes.
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Wider coverage for expensive  implanted heart devices likely will cost the U.S. Medicare  program for seniors about $2 billion over five years, the  program's administrator said on Thursday.
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An experimental Procter & Gamble antiarrhythmia drug significantly reduced the number of painful and unpleasant shocks to patients with implanted defibrillators in a late-stage clinical trial.
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Increased FDA and consumer worries about cardiac safety should continue to fuel growth.
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Devices made of heart tissue could screen drugs and power implantable robots.
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An experimental Procter & Gamble  antiarrhythmia drug significantly reduced the number of painful  and unpleasant shocks to patients with implanted defibrillators  in a late-stage clinical trial.