DANVERS, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Abiomed, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABMD) today announced a positive recommendation by the Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee (MedCAC), formerly known as the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee, to include Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) approved technologies as covered “items or services” in the Medicare clinical trial policy. CMS generally follows the recommendations of its committee and incorporates such recommendations into coverage policy. CMS plans to issue a draft of its clinical trial policy in April 2007 and a final decision is slated for July. This recommendation is a significant reimbursement milestone and could allow future coverage of Abiomed’s AbioCor® Implantable Replacement Heart which was approved in September under an HDE.
