American College of Phlebology to Present at MEDCAC Meeting on Venous Disease

July 1, 2016—The American College of Phlebology (ACP) recently announced that as part of a coalition of organizations dedicated to evidence-based care of venous disease, ACP has submitted a joint presentation to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC) meeting on treatment strategies for patients with lower extremity chronic venous disease. 

Additionally, the United States Compression Alliance (USCA) was invited to present information to the panel of medical professionals addressing the five published questions from CMS on lower extremity chronic venous disease.

The public meeting, which will be will be live-streamed at http://vsweb.org/MEDCACstreaming, will be held on Wednesday, July 20 from 7:30 AM until 4:30 PM in the main auditorium of the CMS offices at 7500 Security Boulevard in Baltimore, Maryland.

In the ACP announcement, coalition chair Neil Khilnani, MD, stated, “This meeting could have a significant impact on our members, the specialty and patients who suffer from chronic venous disease. As an advocate for the specialty, the ACP and its coalition partners are ensuring the voice of the venous community is heard by CMS.”

The ACP and USCA will present as part of a larger group of coalition member organizations, including: the Society for Interventional Radiology, American College of Cardiology, American College of Radiology, American Heart Association, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, Society for Vascular Medicine, American College of Phlebology, Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders, and Vascular Interventional Advances—VIVA Physicians.

The Society for Vascular Surgery and the American Venous Forum, which are not a part of the coalition, will also participate at MEDCAC independently, as reported on June 29 in Endovascular Today.

ACP noted that although it does not set policy, MEDCAC makes recommendations to CMS regarding determinations for treatment and Medicare coverage. MEDCAC required presenters to submit presentations by June 13, 2016 for consideration, review, and selection.

According to ACP, the presentations will address a defined set of published CMS questions focusing on “the scientific evidence underpinning the benefit and risk of existing lower extremity venous disease interventions that aim to improve health outcomes in the Medicare population.” MEDCAC’s request covers multiple topic areas: the burden of venous disease on the patient, evidence supporting intervention for venous reflux across the spectrum of venous disease, evidence supporting intervention in patients with previous deep vein thrombosis and remaining obstruction, venous treatment disparities and Medicare beneficiaries, evidence gaps in venous disease, and improving the evidence base and delivering improved care.

At the MEDCAC meeting, vascular surgeon Nick Morrison, MD, of the Morrison Vein Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona, will represent the US Compression Alliance and present information from the compression therapy point of view to address the panel’s published CMS questions. The USCA noted that compression therapy is the most conservative approach to managing venous and lymphatic disease in the lower extremities; therefore, USCA supporters felt it important to have a representative voice at this event.

In USCA’s announcement, Dr. Morrison commented, “Compression therapy is the cornerstone of venous and lymphatic treatment and has been an integral tool in the treatment of patients suffering from such conditions. As medicine continues to advance and the demand for evidence based treatment continues to escalate, the compression community wants to remain engaged in promoting the most conservative treatment options for patients looking for relief or management of their disease symptoms.” 

USCA was founded in June 2015 to serve as a platform for engaging motivated compression therapy professionals in efforts to promote conservative treatment and advocacy interests of venous and lymphatic disease patients. The alliance’s advocates have practical, research, and educational backgrounds in societal, institutional, and vendor organizations. The advocates have a public commitment to compression therapy as a viable treatment option, stated USCA.