HCFA
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Requirement that patients demonstrate adaquate renal, hepatic, pulmonary and cardiac function in order to be eligible for national coverage for autologous stem cell transplantation (AuSCT) for multiple myeloma is sufficient, and HCFA will not reinstate a cut-off at age 77, the agency decides Feb. 9. Age was to serve as a proxy for predicting who would be susceptible to co-morbidities associated with the procedure; however, HCFA canceled the age restriction Oct. 1, 2000, saying it would try instead to identify specific co-morbidities through an internal review