Medicare’s new local coverage determination (LCD) for respiratory assist devices (RAD) policy eases the pathway for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients to qualify for a noninvasive bi-level device (HCPCS E0470), according to an update from sleep and respiratory equipment maker ResMed.
Effective, Dec. 1, the LCD allows various documentation options to rule out obstructive sleep apnea, thus allowing COPD patients to qualify for a non-invasive bi-level device (HCPCS E0470). The revised LCD states that definitive testing via polysomnographs or home seep testing is not necessary to rule out sleep apnea and CPAP therapy when the medical records and clinical picture show that sleep apnea is not the predominant cause of awake hypercapnia or nocturnal arterial oxygen desaturation, ResMed reported.
The revision also clarifies that nocturnal oximetry is now a cumulative 5 minutes of testing, instead of continuous.
The benefits of using non-invasive ventilation (NIV) to treat the severe COPD patient population are significant and could prevent future acute exacerbations, according to ResMed, which cited some recent research:
- Reduces the risk of death in chronic COPD patients over one year by 76 percent.
- Reduces admissions and minimizes costs from the perspective of the hospital.
- Reduces recurrences of acute hypercapnic respiratory failure following an initial event by up to two-thirds in the first 30 days following the event.
ResMed offers a home NIV solution designed to specifically treat COPD, with default settings, integrated O2 support and a cloud-based system to follow up and remotely monitor a patient’s ventilation parameters.