Oppose LCDs and open up access to all MIGS options for glaucoma patients

These limitations need to be reversed. I have helped hundreds of patients using the OMNI device and others . Omni has been my most effective tool in combating high pressures and high drop burden. I have saved insurers money by getting patients off drops, and the effect has endured. Taking this and other tools away from me is short sighted and will result in more patients on costly drop therapy and more patients with complications from tubes and trabs. Please don’t take this step backward. Work with us to lower reliance on drops and improve patient outcomes.

We young bodies with Glacolma Are striving to live our best lives with this debilitating disease Please please allow us options for treatments Mahalo Glyn Dean

Having glaucoma is hard enough. Limiting treatment options is devastating!

3 years ago, I had successful ABiC surgery I both eyes. Approval for these procedures avoided more costly, invasive snd risky sutgeries. With recent decisions to limit or even prevenr ABiC and other MIGs, patients like me are at risk and doctors who perform these surgeries will be forced to recommend and perform procedures they do not believe are in their patient's best interest. I implore you to pause, re evaluate and reconsider what glaucoma patients and doctors believe is a decision with negative consequences. Our sight is at stake.

This decision does not take into account quality of life for patients and disproportionately affects Hispanic and Black patients.

In the U.S., there are over 3 million Americans with glaucoma. It is a complex disease and patients respond differently to treatment, thus, there is a need for multiple treatment options. Recently, several MACs(Medicare Administrative Contractor) have announced LCDs that limit the role of MIGS(Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery) in glaucoma treatment. This does not only affect Medicare patients as commercial insurance usually follows medicare determinations. As a glaucoma patient, this is devastating for many reasons including limiting treatment options for patients and requiring doctors to do more invasive surgeries for mild to moderate glaucoma. Companies will also move away from research and development in the glaucoma space if their devices are not reimbursed, and thus, not used by doctors. This is absolutely devastating for patients. Glaucoma affects African-Americans, Hispanics, and those over 60 disproportionately and this will only limit access to care. These changes are scheduled to come into effect on December 24, 2023 so it is imperative that we act now to save our sight!

It is urgent to open up access to all MIGS options for glaucoma patients

Without MIGS, Thousands of lives will be worse off, WHAT IS THE BENEFIT to NOT have a MIGS device?

!!!

Limiting Minimally Invasive Surgery is so wrong in so many ways. The research on glaucoma has been quite limited until recently, and it's been exciting to see these MIGS procedures develop. This move backwards to more invasive high risk surgeries is wrong. It is basically telling research entities not to bother because new discoveries won't be utilized anyway. It's telling doctors who give their precious time and resources to learn new surgeries not to bother. Why is a fifty-plus-year-old high risk, invasive surgery considered "the gold standard?" Shameful!

Creating clinical criteria without proper review by the medical societies is not appropriate and dangerous, in my opinion. These LCD’s need to be withdrawn.

I sign this petition

I am currently on the maximum number of drops. I have had SLT three times with no results, and I’m not a good candidate for trabeculectomy. If the drops start to fail or my eyes no longer tolerate such a heavy dose, makes will be my only option. Please don’t deny me this surgery if I should need it. Losing eyesight is absolutely terrifying and I already have optic nerve damage

I specifically need MIGS options, please enable them

please don't take away me MIG options as I need them

Patients and doctors should not be forced to inferior products and drops only when proven methods that work are available and have been used to change people's lives when it comes to Glaucoma.

Do not limit reimbursable Glaucoma options for patients. We need access to every treatment option as we each have different needs at different times.

Please consider those who are pushed to get more involved surgeries who have critical health issues and are at risk because of those health issues.

As a newly diagnosed glaucoma patient, this decision worries me as it lessens the treatments available to me.

We need to have access to all possible medical procedures!