FDA and CMS Call for Nationwide Changes

Recently, CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt and FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf wrote a joint letter to Gary Beatty, Chair of the Accredited Standards Committee X12 (ASC X12), asking that the organization add unique device identifiers (UDIs) for implantable medical devices on claims form. They argue that such a move would improve post-market surveillance and provide for better value-based reimbursement based on device performance.

Manufacturers and distributors are currently implementing UDIs and electronic health records (EHRs) are being tweaked to permit providers to record UDIs, but insurance claims forms have been the holdout. Some industry representatives believe that the changes to insurance claims forms would be costly because the technology to support the changes is not there.

The joint letter addresses the group that sets standards for sharing data gathered and used by the insurance – and other – industries. ASC X12 will release the next version of the insurance claims form for public comment in December 2016. That template is set to be released in 2021. The next update is not scheduled for another ten years.

Slavitt and Califf note that UDIs in claims forms have cost benefits because they would be able to help providers and payers calculate and compare total spending and outcomes and provide better data to track manufacturer rebates owed to the payer or provider. They acknowledge that including UDI will be a complex process and will require a change in workflow and systems for providers and billing companies, but that they are committed to a plan that minimizes impact on state Medicaid agencies, health plans, small physician practices and rural hospitals.

The day after the sending letter, Andy Slavitt tweeted, reiterating his stance:

Health and Human Services (HHS) supports the idea “if sufficient funding and resources are provided to make the necessary Medicare claims processing system changes.”

Previously, CMS pushed back against adding UDIs to claims forms because of technical hurdles and high costs involving in overhauling the form. In Spring 2015, former Medicare Administrator Marilyn Tavenner noted that putting the UDI into electronic health records or device registries kept by companies should be sufficient to promote safety.

CMS’ Office of Inspector General stated that UDIs could save the agency money and offer valuable insights into population health. Other proponents of UDIs say they could more quickly identify dangerous devices, some of which (under the current system) have not been flagged until they hurt patients.

The letter also reflects the FDA’s current push to improve device evaluation and surveillance, as outlined in an editorial co-written by Dr. Califf.  Califf notes that a “key dilemma for device regulation is how to ensure timely access while also providing evidence to guide safe and appropriate use.” Presently, when a device receives approval for the United States market, “residual uncertainty about benefit and risk is typically addressed through postmarket evaluation,” as premarket studies do not typically reflect how a device will be used in practice.

However, Califf goes on to note, “current approaches to postmarket evaluation have limitations. Even though the FDA can require device makers to perform postmarket studies, patients have few incentives to enroll in a study once a device is marketed, and many FDA-mandated postmarket studies for devices have been delayed, scaled back, or never finished.”

Califf also seems frustrated that reporting of adverse events and device malfunctions depends on clinicians identifying and reporting a possible association, and therefore, it is likely that underreporting is common.

Califf calls for a “strategic approach to linking and using clinically based data sources, such as registries, electronic health records (EHRs), and claims data,” which could potentially “reduce the burdens of obtaining appropriate evidence across the life cycle of a device.” He believes that by “leveraging clinical data and applying advanced analytics and flexible regulatory approaches tailored to the unique data needs and innovation cycles of specific device types, a more comprehensive and accurate framework could be created for assessing the risks and benefits of devices.”