CMS Approves Coverage for VR Pain Relief Solution

In the first approval of its kind, the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have approved AppliedVR’s RelieVRx immersive virtual reality (VR) platform as a durable medical device. This opens up funding for not only RelieVRx, but also other therapeutic immersive VR programs.  With the move, AppliedVR expects other payers to eventually follow suit.

According to Frank Diamond, “According to the CMS determination letter (PDF) approving RelieVRx, patients should use the device at home over an eight-week course of treatment that relies on cognitive behavioral therapy including modules on pain education, breathing practices, pain distraction and mindfulness. The letter said clinical trials demonstrated “statistically greater improvements in pain outcomes from use of the RelieVRx, with immersive VR, as compared to non-immersive interventions” because the device activates “five regions of the brain and [engages] multiple neural systems.””

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(Source: Fierce Healthcare, March 21^st, 2023)