Contractor Advisory Committee (CAC) Meeting Information - Tumor Treatment Field Therapy (L34823) - JA DME

Joint DME MAC Publication

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) assigned to the Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractors (DME MACs) the task of developing local coverage determinations (LCDs) for processing and reviewing Medicare claims for Durable Medical Equipment, Prostheses, Orthoses, and Supplies (DMEPOS). The DME MACs have received a request from Novocure, the manufacturer of Optune®, to revise the Tumor Treatment Field Therapy (TTFT) LCD to include language indicating that TTFT is reasonable and necessary for newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme. The purpose of the CAC is to discuss the scientific evidence underlying the requested LCD revision.

The Contractor Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting will take place on March 6, 2019 in Baltimore, MD at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (7500 Security Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21244). The CAC meeting will begin at 9:00 AM and is scheduled to end at 4:00 PM (all times EST).  Interested stakeholders are invited to attend in-person or listen via teleconference; however, advance registration is required, whether attending in-person or via teleconference.  Registration is available here. Once registered you will receive the teleconference information via email prior to the meeting.  Lines will remain muted throughout the conference except for the invited experts and the DME MAC hosts. Registration must be received no later than 5 PM EST on Friday, February 22, 2019.

Invited experts will be asked to discuss the clinical literature related to the LCD reconsideration request and rate their confidence in a series of Key Questions.  Discussions will occur between CAC members and invited presenters. The public may attend; however, questions to CAC members from the public will not be entertained. An Open Meeting for the public to provide comments on the proposed LCD will be hosted at a later date once the proposed LCD is published.

For those unable to attend the CAC meeting in person or via teleconference, it will be available "live" on the CMS YouTube channel:

Morning Session- Here

Afternoon Session- Here

A recording of the meeting will also be posted on the DME MAC web sites following the meeting.

CMS Security

Visitor Screening Procedures
Persons attending the meeting in-person at CMS are reminded to arrive with enough time to negotiate security screening, both at the CMS property gates and once inside the building.  At the gates, all visitors will be required to exit their cars, show identification and allow CMS security personnel to search the car and any personal items (e.g., luggage, handbags, backpacks, briefcases).  Once inside the CMS building, screening procedures will require visitors to empty pockets, remove belts, hats, outerwear jackets (not suit jackets nor sports coats), and large pieces of jewelry and place in provided bins for x-ray screening.  Small and loose items (e.g., purses, laptop computers, cell phones) will be placed in bins and larger items (e.g. computer bags) may be placed directly onto the conveyer. All items being carried into the building will require x-ray screening.

After all items are placed on the conveyer, visitors will proceed through the walk-through metal detector. If the detector alarms, a security guard will use a wand to clear the alarm. If that clears the alarm, screening is complete and the visitor may enter the facility. In the event that the wand does not clear the alarm, the security guard will physically check the area of the body where the alarm is located. Anytime there is an alarm over a sensitive area of a person's body, the officer will use the back of his/her hands to clear the area. If footwear alarms, then footwear will need to be removed and placed in a bin for x-ray screening. Disabled visitors using a mobility aid (e.g. wheel chair, motorized scooter) that cannot pass through the walk-through metal detector will bypass the device and undergo screening by the officer using a wand and/or pat down.

Foreign Visitors

Foreign nationals are not authorized unfettered access to CMS facilities. All foreign nationals visiting any CMS facility are required to have prior approval and are assigned a "Hosting Official" who will be responsible for the visit. The request must be submitted no later than 13 business days prior to the scheduled visit, as processing and approval times can be as much as 10 days. Please contact Maria Ellis via email at maria.ellis@cms.hhs.gov to submit your request by 5:00 pm EST on Friday, February 8, 2019.

Refer to each DME MAC web site for additional information about policy development process.

Jurisdiction A – https://med.noridianmedicare.com/web/jadme
Jurisdiction B – https://www.cgsmedicare.com/jb/index.html
Jurisdiction C – https://www.cgsmedicare.com/jc/index.html
Jurisdiction D – https://med.noridianmedicare.com/web/jddme

Thank you for your participation in our policy development process.
Sincerely,
Robert D. Hoover, Jr., MD, MPH, FACP

On behalf of:

Wilfred Mamuya, MD, PhD.
Medical Director, DME MAC Jurisdiction A
Noridian Healthcare Solutions

Stacey V. Brennan, MD, FAAFP
Medical Director, DME MAC Jurisdiction B
CGS Administrators, LLC

Robert D. Hoover, Jr., MD, MPH, FACP
Medical Director, DME MAC Jurisdiction C
CGS Administrators, LLC

Peter J. Gurk, MD, CPE, CHCQM
Medical Director, DME MAC, Jurisdiction D
Noridian Healthcare Solutions