Originally Published MX November/December 2003
BUSINESS NEWS
Coalition Urges Adoption of MIRA Reforms |
| Mannen |
In September, key industry associations got the support of nearly 30 patient advocacy organizations in urging that provisions of the Medicare Innovation and Responsiveness Act of 2003 (MIRA) be retained in the Medicare reform bill currently under deliberation in Congress.
The message was delivered in a letter calling on Congress to pass legislation to expedite Medicare's reimbursement process and make new medical technologies available to patients in a shorter amount of time. "Fair and adequate reimbursement for new technologies saves lives, lowers the cost barriers faced by hospitals, and encourages further investment in the research and development needed to produce advancements in medical technology," the letter noted.
Industry associations signing the letter included AdvaMed, the Biotechnology Industry Association, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association, and the Healthcare Leadership Council.
The MIRA provisions are currently attached to the Medicare prescription drug and modernization bill that is being negotiated in Congress. A decision on the entire bill is expected before the end of this year.
Ted Mannen, managing director of Aventor (Washington, DC), a medical device and pharmaceutical consultancy, says that adoption of MIRA would help to make the reimbursement system more receptive to new medical technologies. "For innovative new products to be appropriately recognized for reimbursement purposes, there need to be affirmative changes to reimbursement classifications and payment amounts," he says. "They have to be adjusted to account for a continual flow of new information and innovations. The MIRA provisions would help systematize these needed adjustments."
Among other reforms, the act calls on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to set reasonable deadlines for implementation of national coverage, coding, and payment decisions; to cover routine-care costs associated with FDA-approved clinical trials; and to establish a council for technology and innovation to improve the coordination of CMS decisions.
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