Health Care Financing Administration--Exclusion of heart transplantation procedures from Medicare coverage. Notice of HCFA ruling to discontinue medicare coverage of heart transplantation procedures.

This notice announces a HCFA ruling discontinuing Medicare coverage of heart transplantation. In Novemford University Medical Center, pending development of final criteria for coverage of heart transplantations at Stanford and other institutions. However, our continuing review of the question of coverage has disclosed the existence of a number of important issues, such as patient selection and potential social and economic implications, and a lack of sufficient current information to support development of generally applicable coverage criteria. Consequently, HCFA is now excluding heart transplantations from Medicare coverage until appropriate criteria can be issued.