The only easy category is codes for new intravenous drugs, and each year there are quite a few of those. Most of the applicants get the code they ask for.
For other therapies and equipment, it's a cold harsh process. CMS has released its coding decisions for CY2018, on the HCPCS website, here. I've also put the 5 PDFs in one zip file in the cloud, here.
It was a strike-out for all three diabetes technology codes I was tracking.
- No code for the Medtronic 670G artificial pancreas;
- No code for the associated, PMA-grade glucose strips or high accuracy PMA-grade meters, and
- No code for a telemedicine scale used in diabetes prevention programs.
- Dexcom also lost its attempt for more specific battery coding for the Dexcom G5.
- Nearly all of several dozen other equipment or supply code applications failed.
