Novitas and FCSO to Reimburse for MRI Guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) for Essential Tremor (ET)

On May 28, two Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), Novitas and First Coast Service Options (FCSO) announced that they would cover Magnetic-Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery (MRgFUS) for Essential Tremor (ET) under certain conditions. These new Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs) are a result of AANS, CNS and American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (ASSFN) advocacy supporting this technology. The new policies cite an ASSFN position statement, titled, “MR-guided Focused Ultrasound for the Management of Essential Tremor,” which includes a robust review of the literature for the procedure. With the two new positive LCDs, all Part B MACs now provide coverage for MRgFUS for ET.