Scottcare Corp. announced that Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has significantly increased reimbursement levels for external counterpulsation (ECP) therapy. While 2007 Medicare physician payments for cardiology overall dropped by 2 percent, ECP merited a 6.3 percent increase. As a result, the new 2007 national average physician reimbursement for ECP therapy increased to $147 per one-hour session and $5,160 for the complete course of treatment.
NICORE ECP systems are used by hundreds of hospitals and office practices across the country, providing clinicians with a proven, non-invasive cardiac care therapy to improve the health and quality of life for cardiac patients. Clinical studies have demonstrated that ECP therapy benefits more than 80 percent of patients treated, with significant improvement in relief of the symptoms of angina and heart failure, increased functional capacity and reduced dependence on medication.