Rumored Regs Could Help Payers, PBMs Streamline Digital Therapeutic Coverage
Notable changes to the way breakthrough medical devices are covered by Medicare and other payers could be coming soon, with CMS poised to make some therapeutics eligible for Medicare coverage, and some stakeholders pushing for new legislation to expand digital therapeutic coverage. In the meantime, commercial health plans and PBMs are grappling with how best to cover prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs).
Health plans and PBMs have varying approaches to digital therapeutic reimbursement. Some plans may place one digital therapeutic in the medical benefit, while others may cover PDTs as part of a pharmacy benefit. That’s because PDTs occupy a unique space in the health benefits landscape: They aren’t pharmaceuticals, but they share many characteristics of a maintenance medication in practice.