URGENT: Zoom Link to 5/17 WA State SCS Coverage Hearing

At 8:00 a.m. Pacific, on May 17, 2024, the Washington State Health Care Authority plans to meet online to vote on the official spinal cord stimulation (SCS) coverage language that will affect more than 2.7 million Evergreen State residents. We urge all Washington State interventional pain physicians and stakeholders to support access to comprehensive pain care by joining this call. Physicians and stakeholders outside of Washington State are also encouraged to join. A large, supportive showing will have a positive impact. Together the interventional pain community can send a unified message in support of appropriate access to SCS for patients in Washington State.

Meeting materials, including the agenda and link to join the webinar, can be accessed here.

As you may recall, testimony provided by the IPSIS-coordinated Washington State Physicians SCS Workgroup at the November 2023 meeting helped secure conditional coverage support. However, since that time, SCS coverage support within the Washington State Health Care Authority’s Health Technology Clinical Committee (HTCC) has wavered.

IPSIS convened the Multisociety Pain Workgroup (MPW) to voice concerns with the HTCC’s process. In a May 13, 2024, letter to the HTCC, IPSIS and the MPW emphasize the necessity of including insights from clinical experts in Washington State’s decision-making process. Specifically, we request that:

• the HTCC revisit previous evidence-based presentations on the efficacy of SCS treatments;
  
• clinical experts be invited to present evidence-based coverage recommendations; and
  
• members of the Committee be available to address public questions and provide clarification during deliberations.

We feel that such a collaborative approach will enhance the comprehensiveness and efficacy of HTCC decision-making regarding SCS access.

IPSIS continues to monitor this issue and invites you to share your Washington State SCS payment experiences on the IPSIS Open Forum or by emailing reimbursement@IPSISmed.org.

Help sustain this vital advocacy with your donations. The International Pain and Spine Intervention Society (IPSIS) is a tax-exempt organization under US section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. As such, contributions are deductible to the extent allowed by law.