New CMS telehealth designation extends coverage of Abbott’s NeuroSphere virtual clinic

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As part of its Medicare Telehealth Services List, the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will continue to cover the use of Abbott’s NeuroSphere virtual clinic for programming deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices beyond the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Physicians who provide remote care and programming to patients with an Abbott DBS device can now continue to receive reimbursement from Medicare, according to an Abbott media alert.

Having been made official on 1 November 2022, this decision extends Medicare coverage under a telehealth category three designation—which, the alert adds, is reserved for emerging technologies, services and procedures made available during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By extending the availability of these telehealth services for Medicare reimbursement at least through the end of 2023, this designation is intended to create additional time for the collection of data that could support permanent inclusion on the Medicare Telehealth Services List.

NeuroSphere virtual clinic—a connected care neuromodulation technology that was introduced at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic—allows patients with Abbott DBS devices in the USA to communicate with physicians, ensure proper settings and functionality, and receive new treatment settings remotely as needed, the alert notes.


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