New advances in medical technology are improving the lives of millions of Americans every day. Implant devices can restore and repair ailing organs.
Physicians detect life-threatening diseases without performing surgery.
And miniature surgical devices help patients monitor and test their conditions from home, reducing or eliminating their pain while allowing them to recover more quickly. Because of the complex system used by the federal government to evaluate and approve new medical technologies. And it takes HCFA yet another two years to assign an appropriate payment level to reimburse hospitals, physicians, skilled nursing facilities and other care providers for each technology and treatment provided. Clearly, Medicare's complex and bureaucratic nature is foiling the very reason for its existence to get the best treatments to the bedsides of patients promptly and efficiently. In some cases, the same medical products stuck in HCFA's regulatory maze are already being reimbursed by private insurers and health plans.