Rep. Moore Calls For Increased Transparency in the NCD Process

July 20, 2023

Utah U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) signed onto a letter to HHS/CMS, led by House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-MO) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Kathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA), calling for increaed transparency in the NCD process following the agency’s recent release of the TCET notice.

In part, the letter states, “Providing access to innovative technologies is critical to ensuring our federal health care programs are best serving patients. Despite stating the Transitional Coverage of Emerging Technologies (TCET) rule would be proposed by April of this year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the TCET proposed process nearly two months later on June 22, 2023. As we review the CMS coverage policies in the rule, we urge you to encourage transparency in the agency’s consideration of Medicare National Coverage Determination (NCD) requests overall.”

The letter specifically notes that under the current NCD process, there are an unknown number of review requests pending before the agency, with unknown time intervals for each review, and an unknown methodology for how these requests are prioritized.

BioUtah commends Rep. Moore for his oversight of such agency policies and processes that impact patients and Utah’s life sciences innovation engine. Moore has also sponsored legislation, H.R. 1691, the Ensuring Patient Access to Critical Breakthrough Products Act to establish an expedited coverage pathway for FDA breakthrough products.