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Opinion Piece: Dr. Desmond Bell Discusses Changes to CMS Policy for Wound Care Treatments

In an opinion article for The Hill, Dr. Desmond Bell weighs in on a recent change to CMS policy, which will no longer cover medical-grade honey treatments for chronic wounds. Read the first paragraph below, and click over to the full article on TheHill.com.

Dr. Desmond BellAbrupt CMS decision sets dangerous policymaking precedent for healthcare coverage

By Desmond Bell, DPM, CWS, Robert J. Snyder, DPM, MSc, CWS, Lee C Rogers, DPM

Imagine being told you have a condition with a higher mortality rate than many cancers, something that leads to amputation, impacts your quality of life, impairs your mobility, and negatively affects your family and caregivers. Now, imagine that a safe and effective therapy which has been used for years is no longer covered by Medicare. This is precisely what’s happening with medical-grade honey dressings and patients with chronic wounds.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently unilaterally decided to alter its long-standing reimbursement policy for advanced surgical wound dressings, limiting access to care for millions of patients suffering from chronic wounds. Read the full article on TheHill.com

UPDATE: We recently received notification that CMS has reassigned coverage for medical-grade honey treatments. We are continuing to follow this issue and bring you the latest news on health policy as it affects our patients.

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