I-Flow to Appeal Denial of Medicare for its Procedures

Lake Forest infusion products maker I-Flow Corp. said Tuesday that a federal agency has rescinded its approval for Medicare payments for the company’s outpatient pain-management surgical procedures.

I-Flow said in a press release that the Health Care Financing Administration decided to deny payments for its proprietary ON-Q and PainBuster pain-management systems because of “budgetary restrictions” on the agency.

An official with the agency, however, said the original approval in August had been given erroneously. Upon further review, the official said, the agency determined the devices delivering pain medication didn’t meet the criteria of being implanted or inserted in patients.

The company said it will appeal the agency’s decision, which is scheduled to become effective on Jan. 1.