Medicare Covers Microvolt T-Wave Alternans Testing

But coverage does not, in itself, confirm the value of MTWA testing for identifying who will benefit from an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has decided to allow Medicare coverage of microvolt T-wave alternans (MTWA) testing to evaluate patients at risk for sudden cardiac death from ventricular arrhythmias (http://www.cms.hhs.gov/mcd/viewdecisionmemo.asp?id=165). The test, which is conducted during exercise, is covered only when the spectral analytic method is used.

Data from a recent small, relatively short-term prospective study suggest that MTWA testing might help to identify some patients with impaired LV function who are in sinus rhythm as low-risk and, therefore, less likely to derive a survival benefit from implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy (Journal Watch Cardiology Mar 2 2006). For these patients, the…

Author

Hugh Calkins, MD