Lawmakers Say Insurance Claims Should Include High-Risk Device Identifiers

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Elizabeth Warren (D-Okla.) and three representatives urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service to begin including information from unique device identifiers (UDIs) for high-risk implants on electronic insurance claims.

Last month, X12, the American National Standards Institute committee in charge of insurance claim transactions, issued draft recommendations for incorporating UDI device identifiers in claims forms. The lawmakers are asking CMS to adopt this guidance, which would allow device identifiers of high-risk implants to be included in claims transactions.

Listing the device identifier — required on UDIs to identify the labeler and the device’s version or model — would improve the quality of healthcare by enhancing tracking information on implants like cardiac stents and artificial joints, the legislators said.

“Including this information in claims transactions will enhance post-market surveillance of potential faulty devices and streamline the process of identifying affected patients when problems arise,” they said.