Beginning April 1, Medicare began covering intestinal transplants for some patients at three U.S. transplant centers.
According to a memorandum by the Health Care Financing Administration, Medicare now covers intestinal transplantation for the restoration of intestinal function in patients with irreversible intestinal failure. Transplants are covered only when performed for patients who have failed total parenteral nutrition.
The approved transplant centers include the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, and Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. In February 1999, UPMC asked Medicare to cover the procedure.
UPMC pioneered intestinal transplantation in May 1990. As of late last year, 439 intestinal transplants had been performed in the United States-many in children. UPMC estimates it has performed about 30% of the intestinal transplants that have been carried out worldwide.
Coverage by Medicare is important "because most state Medicaid and other third-party payers usually follow Medicare reimbursement guidelines," UPMC said when Medicare decided in October 2000 to allow coverage.
For Your Information:
HCFA posts its memorandum at
www.hcfa.gov/pubforms/transmit/ab00130.pdf.
UPMC posts background information at
www.upmc.edu/NewsBureau/tx/smbwl2bg.htm
and its October statement at
www.upmc.edu/NewsBureau/tx/Intestine_Transplants_%20Medicare.htm.
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