TMS Therapy is finally experiencing the insurance coverage recognition it deserves!

 

After formal FDA approval in 2008, celebrating the Neuronetics TMS System completion of its One Millionth TMS treatment, thousands of success stories, and mounting research evidence detailing the multitude of TMS therapy benefits??nsurance companies are slowly, but surely, coming on board, too. The latest victory is Aetna?? change in TMS insurance coverage policy. Read more about the lawsuit that was the final push toward Aetna changing its TMS insurance coverage policy. In July of this year, Aetna joined the list of insurance providers who include repetitive TMS therapy (rTMS) as a behavioral health benefit for their members, all 18+ million of them! TMS is now a covered service for Aetna members 18 years-old and older who suffer with drug-resistant Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). In a similar ??hen push comes to shove??fashion, earlier this year, Cigna also joined the list of responsible TMS Therapy health insurance providers. Providing TMS coverage is a seriously necessary treatment option for mood disorder patients, who often find themselves with limited treatment options; see complete list of insurance providers offering TMS benefits.

With almost 7% of the adult U.S. population documented to suffer with depression in 2014 (see NIH information) and millions of Aetna and Cigna members across the nation, the impact of this seemingly small policy change can amount to quite substantial results in the quality of life for millions of people. If you think insurance coverage, depression, or rTMS therapy don?? impact you, think twice! This often life-changing treatment just became more available to the people who directly impact your life: friends, family, co-workers, educators, service offices, store cashiers, bankers, people driving on the road next you in traffic, etc. This push towards better behavioral health insurance coverage is important to the quality of your life, and ultimately, it makes you healthier.

How does wider TMS coverage impact those us involved in the mental health field? Better coverage allows us to encourage more patients to get the treatment they need; and by eliminating time spent on denial appeals??t allows us to focus on doing our jobs. For healthcare providers nationwide??hysicians, clinicians, therapists, and social workers alike??t means having another tool to offer, when trying to answer the dreaded: ?? already tried this drug and that didn?? work either. What?? next for me???To the family and friends of those openly suffering with depression, it is reassurance that TMS therapy is an affordable and clinically proven treatment option worth learning about. For the MDD patient, this means there is something that can be done. After years of trying, a yet another failed drug trial doesn?? have to signify the sentence to a lifetime of suffering with depression. TMS is a treatment option for your depression and it?? a service that is yours to demand.

To us at TMS Solutions, this ??ittle??policy change means ??lightly??more paperwork, which we are eagerly happy to complete for you! We will contact your insurance company and then provide you with a break down for your individual TMS policy coverage costs. Depending on the specifics of your plan, TMS therapy can be completely free to the patient. Insurance benefits investigation is a service we provide and it?? always free. We are here to be a resource for you and for your care team in the process of getting access to TMS therapy, a benefit that is now yours to use.

 

Contact us today about TMS Therapy and insurance coverage options.

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Note: When discussing TMS for depression, rTMS is implied; not to be confused with sTMS, which is used for other indications.