ATS Join CHEST in Letter to CMS on Supplemental Oxygen Coverage

This month, the ATS joined CHEST and several other respiratory organizations in a letter to CMS supporting their recent proposed changes to national coverage policy for supplemental oxygen. CMS has proposed several changes to current coverage policy including:

• Expanding coverage to include short- and long-term use of supplemental oxygen for acute and chronic respiratory conditions and to provide coverage for conditions unrelated to hypoxemia.
• Eliminating the “fail first” requirement on other therapeutic options.
• Changing recertification requirements for individuals who are not hypoxemic or who demonstrate continued improvement from an acute disease.
• Eliminating references to “chronic stable state” and replacing with “time of need.”
• Removing the specific list of examples included in the section related to Conditions of which Oxygen May be Covered in NCD 240.1.