Advocacy group wants TAVR changes, urging Trump admin to ‘stop getting in between patients and their doctors’
The Alliance for Aging Research, a U.S.-based nonprofit focused on advancing the science of aging, is urging the Trump administration to expand patient access to transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) by revamping policies that have been in place for years. As things stand today, the group argued, many patients are unable to undergo TAVR due to “barriers in the Medicare system.”
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is currently considering several substantial changes to how Medicare covers TAVR. A final decision is expected in June. One of the changes involves putting an end to current coverage with evidence development (CED) rules that require patient data to be gathered through clinical trials or registries. Another change would cover TAVR for asymptomatic patients—in the past, no symptoms have meant no procedure. Yet another change would make surgical consultations an optional part of multidisciplinary heart team meetings instead of a requirement.
The Alliance for Aging Research commissioned a poll about the potential impact of these changes. Approximately 1,000 U.S. adults participated in the poll in May. Overall, 77% of participants said they agree Medicare should cover TAVR “the same way that it covers open-heart surgery” and 67% said they would be more likely to support a political candidate who “supports requiring Medicare to broaden patient access to TAVR.”
The group sees these poll results as evidence that the public agrees with making the changes CMS is currently considering. In its statement about the poll, it urged “all allies” to contact CMS in support of eliminating the CED requirements and improving patient access to TAVR.
“TAVR is a life-saving treatment for aortic stenosis that many patients prefer because it avoids open heart surgery, and it can help people get treated sooner while saving Medicare and taxpayers about $10,000 in lower total healthcare costs per patient in the first year after treatment,” Sue Peschin, president and CEO of the Alliance for Aging Research, said in the statement. “The Medicare program needs to remove the CED and other outdated coverage requirements for TAVR and stop getting in between patients and their doctors.”
What does the public think about these changes?
So far, public feedback about changing these policies has been mixed. CMS received a total of 170 public comments about the TAVR NCD. Many of those comments cheered the possibility that there could soon be fewer restrictions on patient care, but others included concerns about how things might unfold if too many changes are put into place.
The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), American College of Cardiology (ACC), Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA), Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) and Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) all signed on to a statement, available here, sharing their own thoughts on the potential changes.
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.