SCAI Government Relations Committee member Dr. Jeffery Marshall testified before the National Government Services, Inc. (NGS) Open Public Meeting on Local Coverage Decisions (LCDs). NGS is a Medicare carrier that recently issued a proposal to codify coverage of FFRct. Dr. Marshall stated, “we are pleased that the proposal does not restrict the coverage of invasive FFR procedures. SCAI believes that there is strong scientific evidence for the performance of FFRct as a noninvasive diagnostic test in patients with SIHD and intermediate coronary artery disease.” SCAI has successfully fought a number of LCDs that proposed restrictions on invasive FFR in connection with other Medicare carriers.  

Dr. Marshall continued, “invasive FFR remains the Gold Standard for accessing complex coronary disease during invasive angiography. It is also the best way to accurately access serial coronary lesions and is accompanied by clinical outcomes data from a large number of randomized clinical trials.” He thanked Drs. Joaquin Cigarroa and Deepali Nivas Tukaye for their efforts in developing the SCAI response on this issue.