Medicare Policies Influence Technology Adoption, Says HIMA's Mannen

In Japan speech, HIMA VP outlines recommendations on coverage, payment, assessment policies.

2/22/99 - Medicare's policies for assessing, covering, and paying for medical technology must be adjusted to ensure that the U.S. is able to capture technology's ability to improve lives and increase productivity. That was the view expressed by HIMA Executive Vice President for Health Care Systems Ted Mannen in a speech before the Japan Association for the Advancement of Medical Equipment on February 22 in Tokyo. "…Let me re-emphasize that all of these government policies - Medicare's coverage system, Medicare's many reimbursement systems, and now Medicare's increasing reliance on managed care - represent hurdles that medical devices must overcome if they are to be adopted and utilized in the United States." Mannen stressed that current policies often confuse innovators, create delays, and reduce product availability for patients.

To make Medicare's coverage and payment systems more technology-friendly, Mannen cited HIMA's recommendations that call for clearer procedures, reasonable criteria, and up-to-date payment categories and rates. In addition, he outlined ten principles that he said would make technology assessment more consistent with the flow of device innovation. They include gathering evidence on technologies in "real-world" practice settings, using such information to power a kind of "real-time" feedback loop that fosters continuous improvement, and permitting a pluralism of technology decisionmakers. Mannen said he offered his observations not as a model for Japan, but as principles that Japan might use in evaluating its own health care structure. Click to view speech. Contact: Ted Mannen