AdvaMed Praises Congressional Letter on Competitive Bidding

WASHINGTON—AdvaMed, a trade association representing medical technology companies, praised a letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz urging the agency not to finalize a proposal the lawmakers warned could reduce and complicate patient access to continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and durable insulin pumps. The letter was written by United States Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), co-chairs of the Senate Diabetes Caucus, and U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette (D-Colo.-01) and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.-12), co-chairs of the U.S. House Diabetes Caucus.

“AdvaMed is grateful for these legislators’ keen understanding of the critical role of medtech in helping millions of Americans manage their diabetes,” said Scott Whitaker, AdvaMed president and CEO. “Diabetes is an extremely complicated, serious condition … Continuous glucose monitors and durable insulin pumps prevent complications that are not only devastating and sometimes fatal to patients, but also expensive to the health care system with hospitalizations and emergency room visits.

“Even under current policies, too many patients lack adequate access to the diabetes medtech that could improve their health. Any policies that undermine instead of increase access are the wrong direction,” Whitaker continued. 

In its formal comments on the CMS proposed durable medical equipment competitive bidding rule, AdvaMed urged CMS to fix “serious flaws” in the proposal, citing risks to patient safety, fewer product choices for beneficiaries and cost increases that would result if the rule stands.