This could just be the most important thing any of us ever do for people with CH.




Hello, we have been instructed to initiate a ACTION REQUIRED FOR CMS REIMBURSEMENT COVERAGE FOR CLUSTER HEADACHE PATIENTS.

A Formal Request for a National Coverage Assessment at CMS (Medicare) was filed on 4/9/2010 by Dr. Fred Sheftell, MD, President, American Headache Society and Dr. Robert C. Griggs, MD, FAAN, President, American Academy of Neurology. 

The goal of this National Coverage Assessment request is to overturn the present non-coverage determination on oxygen therapy for Medicare beneficiaries who suffer from cluster headaches. Comments from Neurologists who treat Cluster Headache sufferers as well as the Cluster Headache sufferers themselves who use high flow oxygen therapy have a vested interest in this coverage.   

This formal request is in part due to the latest evidence of High Flow Oxygen for the treatment of Cluster Headache. You can find this summary article from Neurology Now.  This article provides additional perspectives from some of the Nation's top neurologists specializing in the treatment of the acute and chronic Cluster Headache.  They list oxygen therapy as the first intervention of choice for the Cluster Headache due to its safety and effectiveness in aborting the most severe pain known to the medical profession. 

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Should you agree with thousands of oxygen prescribers and users of High Flow Oxygen for the treatment of Cluster Headache please find the link below to the CMS page announcing the NCA for Home Use of Oxygen to Treat Cluster Headache (CAG-00296R).  The comment period runs from 4/9/2010 to 5/9/2010. It is urgent to act today before the comment period is closed.   

Go to this link now for comment:
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What are we supposed to write? Just that we encourage the use of O2 for CH?

Here are two examples of posts..


Quote:

Oxygen at 15 LPM is a very effective treatment for Cluster Headaches. It acts faster than triptans for many sufferers and without the heart racing associated with triptans for many. Oxygen is an effective abortive for people who cannot use triptans owing to heart attacks or other conditions that preclude the use of triptans. Oxygen is also an effective and safe treatment for children suffering from Cluster Headaches who are too young to be prescribed triptans.

Quote:

"I urge Medicare to cover home oxygen therapy for cluster headache sufferers, especially in lieu of the study published in the December 9th edition of the JAMA. Providers and patients have long known the benefit of using home oxygen to abort cluster headaches safely and effectively, but sadly, many cluster patients cannot receive home oxygen due to current restrictions by CMS. It needs to be regarded as the standard of care for first line intervention during an attack."

Their posting policy is strict. You can't post anything personal so you need to make everything third party. Using the above as a reference might help you with what to write - but do write! It's so important for all of us

thanks for the thread!

DONE!!!!


DONNA MAE

Done

done!

done

The whole Hippus Act 3rd party thing made it interesting....but done!

Joe

I'm such an IDIOT I did it and didnt read it just glanced and gave out too much info I believe. I am sorry if this didnt help the cause. Terry   :-[ 

Done.

done

I'd like to mention a side note to this discussion - while it focuses on Medicare/Medicaid coverage, I would ask that everyone please remember that Tricare, the military health care coverage, is based on Medicare.

If Medicare refuses coverage, so will Tricare, and there are a high number of active duty, retirees and veterans in our midst, as well as their family members.  They would all lose their home oxygen coverage.

Our service men and women and their families deserve better.

Cat