Allogeneic HCT

Medicare pays for items and services that are reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of an illness or injury. What Medicare will cover is described in national coverage determinations (NCD), each one focusing on a specific therapy, procedure, or disease.

National Coverage Determination (NCD) 

The Medicare NCD for Stem Cell Transplantation should guide your center in what is covered for your Medicare patients. Although you may find that Medicare sometimes pays for indications outside of the NCD, it is financially risky to assume that this will always happen. Always check the NCD to determine what is covered.

The NCD states that allogeneic transplant is covered for leukemia, aplastic anemia, severe combined Immunodeficiency disease (SCID), and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome. Allogeneic transplant for Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), myelofibrosis (MF), sickle cell disease (SCD), and multiple myeloma is covered in the context of a Medicare-approved, prospective clinical study, which is known as Coverage with Evidence Development (CED). Visit Medicare Clinical Trials to learn more about CED.  

Medicare Coverage and Auth Allo - Medicare Cov Allo

Regional Coverage Policies

Medicare uses a network of contractors called Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), which are private companies that are contracted to perform services on behalf of Medicare, such as process claims and answer provider inquiries. MACs have regional policies, which means that they may cover indications that are not listed in the NCD. We recommend getting to know your MAC medical director and working with them if you have coverage questions. Learn about your MAC (CMS.gov).  

MAC Coverage Case Study: NGS

One example of variation in coverage by MAC is for allogeneic HCT for patients with lymphomas.

National Government Services (NGS), which is the MAC for Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont issued a local coverage article (LCA) detailing coverage for allogeneic HCT for multiple lymphoma indications, greatly improving access for Medicare beneficiaries in states within this MAC.

NMDP was successful is advocating for the CGS MAC, which covers Kentucky and Ohio, to agree to issue the same LCA (official implementation is still pending) and is currently working to expand HCT coverage for lymphomas in the Noridian and Palmetto MAC regions.

If you are having difficulties with coverage and would like NMDP to be involved in your center’s advocacy efforts, please email PayerPolicy@NMDP.org.

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How to Determine Coverage for Medicare Patients 

Follow these steps to determine coverage for your Medicare patient. 

  • Determine if your patient has Standard Medicare or Medicare Advantage
    Medicare Advantage patients may have additional programs available to them that Standard Medicare patients will not have such as Case Management, and also may have different rules. For example, Standard Medicare does not require prior authorization or notification, but Medicare Advantage plans may require it.

  • Check eligibility for all parts of Medicare
    Ensure you know what parts of Medicare your patient is covered under. If your patient has Standard Medicare, you can determine eligibility through your MAC. For patients with Medicare Advantage, you will check eligibility with the health plan.

  • Determine if the patient has Medigap insurance that will cover Medicare co-pays 
    This will affect how much the patient may need to pay out of pocket.

  • Review the NCD carefully
    Determine if the indication your patient is being transplanted for is covered according to the list of covered indications. View the NCD (CMS.gov). 

  • Use the clinical trial NCD 
    If your patient is on a clinical trial, the clinical trial NCD (CMS.gov) will help you determine what will be covered.

Authorizations 

Standard Medicare plans do not support a prior authorization process for medical procedures. What this means is that you won’t know for sure if the procedure is covered until after the care has been delivered. However, Medicare Advantage plans often require prior authorization, and these plans have a standard 14-day period in which to make a coverage authorization decision. If your patient’s health could be seriously harmed by waiting 14 days, ask the plan for a fast decision (within 72 hours).

The prior authorization process for Medicare Advantage patients will follow the same process used for other products at that payer. Please refer to our commercial authorization page for specific details on this process.

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