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Two Diets Cleared for Medicare Payment
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MedpageToday.com REPORTS HERE that "Medicare will pay for intensive diet and exercise programs developed under the Ornish and Pritikin brands for reducing cardiovascular event risk, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced. The agency's review of published data on the Ornish and Pritikin intensive cardiac rehabilitation programs found that they effectively slowed or reversed progression of coronary heart disease and reduce the need for coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG) and percutaneous interventions."

"Consequently, they are approved for coverage under Part B of Medicare, CMS said. Legislation that went into effect this year established a new benefit for intensive cardiac rehabilitation programs."

"Because Medicare will make these programs available to all beneficiaries regardless of income, it expects the decision will "reduce the disparate impact of heart disease in minority populations."

"CMS staff reviewed six studies of the Pritikin program and nine on the Ornish version appearing in peer-reviewed publications. Most of these were conducted or sponsored by the Ornish and Pritikin companies -- eight of the nine Ornish studies, for example, had company founder Dean Ornish..."

"Other benefits identified in the studies included reduced LDL cholesterol levels, body weight, blood pressure, and rates of events including CABG and angioplasty procedures."


 
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Added: September 15, 2010. 06:34 PM CDT
Payment for diets?
Can BXBS and other group insurance companies pay for the pritikan & ornish diets by chiropractors? If so, what is the ICD-9 codes?
Anonymous
Added: September 07, 2010. 12:54 PM CDT
Two Diets Cleared for Medicare Payment. If prescribed by a chiropractor are these reimbursable. [Not according to federal law. -ed]
Anonymous
 
 
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