ReWalk Robotics Applauds Medicare Proposal to Include Personal Exoskeletons in a Medicare Benefit Category to be Paid on a Lump Sum Basis

Proposed benefit category assignment represents a positive step in facilitating Medicare coverage of personal exoskeletons for qualified individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).

ReWalk Robotics is collaborating with key stakeholders during public comment period to support the proposal to further enhance access for Medicare beneficiaries.

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. and YOKNEAM ILLIT, Israel, June 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ReWalk Robotics Ltd. (Nasdaq:RWLK) (“ReWalk” or “the Company”), a leading provider of innovative technologies that enable mobility and wellness in rehabilitation and daily life for individuals with neurological conditions, applauds the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) proposal to include personal exoskeletons in the Medicare benefit category for braces. CMS issued the proposal as part of the Calendar Year 2024 Home Health Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule, CMS-1780 (Proposed Rule), released on June 30, 2023.

The Proposed Rule would establish a new regulatory definition of “brace” and include exoskeletons like the ReWalk Personal Exoskeleton (i.e., exoskeletons described by Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System code K1007) in this definition. Once finalized, the Medicare benefit category for personal exoskeletons would be clear – i.e., the Medicare benefit category for “leg, arm, back, and neck braces” – and payment would be on a lump sum basis. As noted by CMS, “adding the definition of brace in regulation would expedite coverage and payment for newer technology and powered devices, potentially providing faster access to these new healthcare technologies” such as personal exoskeletons, which allow paralyzed patients to stand and walk again in their everyday lives.

ReWalk Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Larry Jasinski, said: “CMS has used this Proposed Rule to identify a path forward to provide this life-changing technology to beneficiaries with SCI. Proposing a clear Medicare benefit pathway for personal exoskeletons eliminates one of the largest barriers preventing Medicare beneficiaries from access to these innovative devices. The inclusion of a policy addressing personal exoskeletons in this Proposed Rule is a significant milestone for the SCI community.”

During the 60-day comment period ending on August 29, 2023, interested stakeholders can submit comments and feedback on the proposal prior to its expected finalization in early November. ReWalk looks forward to collaborating with other key stakeholders to provide comments supporting the finalization of a clear benefit category for proposed exoskeletons.