September 11, 2026
EW: Asymptomatic Wins & Moderate AS Misses
CMS’s finalized national coverage determination (NCD) last night should support an incremental ~120 bps in growth for EW’s TAVR franchise in 2027, with the agency largely codifying the criteria initially outlined in its June proposal….
September 2, 2026
EW: TAVR NCD Expectations & Implications
With CMS set to release its finalized update to the TAVR NCD by Sept. 13 [likely posted after the close here], we largely expect it to maintain the core elements of the original proposal. More…
June 11, 2026
[EW, MDT, ABT] TAVR: Incremental Gains From Expected Coverage
In advance of the CMS draft coverage decision for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) due June 15 (final Sept. 15), we expect policy changes that – while positive – may be more incremental in their…
April 23, 2026
RAPID Device Coverage: Rebrand or Brand New?
The joint CMS / FDA press release this morning outlining the Regulatory Alignment for Predictable and Immediate Device (RAPID) coverage pathway for breakthrough medical devices strikes us more as a rebranding of the existing transitional…
February 25, 2026
[EW, MDT, ABT] TAVR: Incremental Gains From Expected Coverage
In advance of the CMS draft coverage decision for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) due June 15 (final Sept. 15), we expect policy changes that – while positive – may be more incremental in their…
December 16, 2025
EW, ABT, MDT: TAVR Coverage Coming
Coming roughly in line with our timing expectations outlined in early June (admittedly, a quarter or so early), we would expect CMS’s reopening of its transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) coverage policy to provide greater…
November 29, 2025
DXCM, TNDM, BBNX, RMD, COLOB.DC, CTEC.LN: Competitive Bidding Comes for CGM, Pumps, & More
With CMS finalizing [Fact Sheet, Final Rule] its intention to include continuous glucose monitors (CGM) [DXCM, ABT], insulin pumps [TNDM, BBNX], and urological / ostomy supplies [COLOB.DC, CTEC.LN] in the next round of the Competitive…
October 29, 2025
[MDT, Otsuka] Renal Denervation: Broad Coverage, With New Guardrails
We view CMS’s final coverage policy for renal denervation (RDN) [Medtronic (MDT), Otsuka (4578.JT)] as largely consistent with the initial proposal, but with some modest new guardrails that may incrementally slow utilization and delay /…
October 9, 2025
CGMs & Insulin Pumps: Competitive Bidding Lookahead
Despite the nearly ubiquitous opposition of stakeholders, we think CMS will likely finalize its intention to include continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) [DXCM, ABT] in the next round of the Competitive Bidding Program (CBP), along with…
July 16, 2025
Misses For LNTH, LIVN, PRCT, Wins for BSX / MDT
CMS’s CY26 hospital outpatient proposal last night hews closely to our expectations going in: INSP: With the company targeting use of LIVN’s cranial nerve code for its Inspire V device, payment group reassignment likely would…