Medicare contractors Novitas and PalmettoGBA have recently quit covering the VenaSeal vein treatment procedure without scientific data to support the decision. VenaSeal uses Cyanoacrylate (medical adhesive) to close superficial veins. The treatment is nonthermal, involves one incision and is highly effective, especially in the elderly and heavyweight patient as they have a hard time wearing support hose. Palmetto supports says that the procedure is promising and uses 3 month data.  VenaSeal (previously Sapheon) has been around for over 7 years and Medtronic has 3 year published data and is soon to release 5 year data.  The data shows that the VenaSeal procedure has a long term closure rate of 94% vs. the gold standard of 91.9%. (Radio-frequency ablation). 

Our legislature and representatives need to ask the MAC’s (Medicare Administrative Contractors). Our veterans and senior Americans deserve the best medicine.  Medicare and it’s contractors need to immediately add VenaSeal back to the LCD and allow patients and physicians a choice in how they have their veins treated. The clinical data and long term results (over 7 years of data) are similar to radio-frequency ablation.

I started this petition because...
I am a vascular consultant and partner in a vein practice in Atlanta Georgia. As one of the first adopters of the VenaSeal technology, I have seen first hand the advantages this technology provides. We are selective in who we treat with VenaSeal and have had (Zero) significant complications. Every now and then a patient has to take a steroid for 5 days if they are sensitive to the adhesive.  Cyanoacrylate has been used in surgery for over 30 years! We screen our patients for any adverse reactions to tapes, glues or adhesives of any kind. If in doubt we don’t use the technology. VenaSeal is a real game changer for patients with little mobility, significant arthritis, venous ulcers, are elderly or larger body mass.

Last Friday we had a patient walk in with an ulcer on his leg. We were able to treat him that afternoon and today he was over the moon as his entire leg was smaller, the color had changed and his ulcer had already started to heal. The scientific evidence for VenaSeal is great. It has been FDA approved for 3 years and used in Europe for 7 years. With all medical technologies, there have been some side effects from those allergic, however, this is very limited. The risk of this type of reaction is 1:10,000. 
Here is the Waves Study.

Cyanoacrylate closure of incompetent great, small and accessory saphenous veins without the use of post-procedure compression: Initial outcomes of a post-market evaluation of the VenaSeal System (the WAVES Study)
Kathleen Gibson, Brian Ferris
First Published May 20, 2016 Research Article
https://doi.org/10.1177/1708538116651014
Article Information PDF download for Cyanoacrylate closure of incompetent great, small and accessory saphenous veins without the use of post-procedure compression: Initial outcomes of a post-market evaluation of the VenaSeal System (the WAVES Study) 

Here are the MAC’s 

Palmetto GBA - www.palmettogba.com/medicare

Medicare - www.cgsmedicare.com

Novitas Solutions - www.novitas-solutions.com

Look at the three-year clinical data!  https://www.trufflesveinspecialists.com/vein-treatments/venaseal/