US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that it didn’t see a clear benefit from the Cyberonics Vagus Nerve Stimulator for treating depression. The announcement makes it highly unlikely that Medicare would pay for the treatment.
The Cyberonics device is implanted in the chest and transmits electric signals to nerves in the neck. Medicare already pays for its use to treat epilepsy but a decision to reimburse it for its treatment of depression would have been a windfall for the Houston-based company.
