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GAO Says Disposable Devices Should Be Covered by Medicare

August 2, 2017

The Government Accountability Office wants the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to consider allowing the use of disposable medical devices in some situations where durable devices had only been covered by Medicare.

That’s the thrust of GAO’s new report, Medicare: CMS Should Evaluate Providing Coverage for Disposable Medical Devices That Could Substitute for Durable Medical Equipment, published July 17.

Medicare spent $6.7 billion on durable medical equipment (DME), the GAO researchers found. Since companies have developed disposable versions of some of those devices, using those new products could reduce cost and provide better health outcomes. But Medicare generally does not cover disposable medical equipment.

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