The Alliance submitted a letter in support of H.R. 2445, the DMEPOS Access and Transparency Act of 2017, also known as the DATA Act of 2017. The Alliance noted concern about the impact that prior authorization for negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) will have in a clinician’s ability to continue treatment protocols for patients while awaiting a prior authorization approval. The Alliance recommended that prior authorization should only be used when patients are not already undergoing treatment for a condition. Once treatment begins, any prior authorization requirement will impact their care. The Alliance requested that NPWT technology be carved out from the DATA Act’s prior authorization requirements in order to ensure that patients have uninterrupted access to NPWT for severe and chronic wounds and burns when Medicare local coverage criteria are met.

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