Alliance Calls on CMS to Modify Wound Care Coverage, Payment Policies in Light of Front-Line Clinical Experience During the COVID-19 Pandemic

July comments to CMS are the latest in a series of Alliance actions to ensure that clinicians can treat patients efficiently and effectively, with appropriate reimbursement

July 2020 - The Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders called on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) to expand and increase reimbursement for wound-care related telehealth visits; provide flexibility in documentation requirements for continued need and refill of surgical dressings and other supplies; and permit medically necessary procedures to take place on the same date of service so that quality care to be provided to patients while minimizing their risk of COVID-19 exposure.These and other requests were made in the Alliance’s July “Comments to CMS Covid-19 Public Health Emergency Second Interim Final Rule.”  The Alliance’s July recommendations to CMS address wound-relevant issues including:

• Temporary relocation site billing
• Waive standard written order (SWO) provisions in select local coverage determinations (LCD)
• Allow billing for dNPWT telehealth
• Allow total contact casting (TCC) to be provided on the same date of service as other procedure