Sight Sciences, Inc. supports the decision announced by five Medicare Administrative Contractors (“MACs”) to withdraw their final local coverage determinations (“LCDs”) for micro-invasive glaucoma surgery (“MIGS”) that were scheduled to take effect on January 29, 2024.
These five MACs, WPS Government Health Administrators, Palmetto GBA, Celerian Group Company, National Government Services, and Noridian Healthcare Solutions, previously published LCDs on MIGS, which identified certain procedures as investigational for glaucoma management in patients over the age of 18, including canaloplasty in combination with trabeculotomy ab interno, which is a procedural description associated with the Company’s OMNI Surgical System (“OMNI”). All five MACs have now issued statements that the final LCDs will not go into effect on January 29, 2024.
As a result, there will be no change in January 2024 to the current Medicare coverage for MIGS procedures performed with the OMNI Surgical System.
“We appreciate that the MACs and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) carefully and thoughtfully considered all stakeholder concerns with the LCDs and the serious potential risks to patient health and access to effective glaucoma care,” said Paul Badawi, co-founder and CEO of Sight Sciences. “We look forward to continued engagement with the MACs and CMS to ensure glaucoma patients and their physicians maintain appropriate and fair access to medically reasonable and necessary MIGS procedures and technology. We would like to thank the many passionate glaucoma surgeons around the country and the national and state eye care societies including notably the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Glaucoma Society, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, and the Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Society, who all worked collaboratively and tirelessly to provide valuable and critical feedback to the MACs, CMS, and Congressional offices during this rigorous review process. Additionally, we appreciate the support from the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA) and numerous patient advocacy groups.”