Application 1113
Endovenous Laser Therapy for varicose veins (ELT)
Application No. | 1113 |
| Application Name | Endovenous Laser Therapy for varicose veins (ELT) |
| Advisory Panel | Dr David Wood (Chair ) (MSAC member until 30/12/2008) Dr Ewa Piejko (MSAC Member until 30/09/2008) (Royal Australian College of General Practitioners nominee) Professor Kenneth Myers (Royal Australian College of Surgeons nominee) Mr Peter Milne (Coopted Vascular Surgeon) Ms Jill Forck (Consumers’ Health Forum nominee) |
| Date Received by MSAC Secretariat | 27 October 2006 |
| Stage 1 - Eligibility | Eligible |
| Stage 2 - Assessment | Completed |
| Stage 3 - Formulation of Advice to the Minister | This assessment was considered by the MSAC at the 7 March 2008 meeting. MSAC has considered the safety, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness for endovenous laser therapy for varicose veins compared with saphenous junction ligation with or without vein stripping. MSAC finds the endovenous laser therapy is at least as safe, effective and cost-effective as saphenous junction ligation and vein stripping for the treatment of varicose veins. MSAC recommends that public funding is supported for endovenous laser treatment. At its 4 December 2009 meeting, MSAC confirmed its previous advice on Endovenous Laser Therapy (ELT) that ELT is at least as safe and effective as surgical vein stripping for the treatment of varicose veins. ELT is cost-effective at the fee proposed in the MSAC Application 1113 Report ($606). MSAC supports public funding for ELT, provided that the MBS fee is held at the current MBS fee of the comparator and is exempt from the Medicare Safety Net for this item. Should the Minister ultimately agree to list ELT on the MBS, MSAC requests the Department of Health and Ageing to report to MSAC after 18 months on the actual fees charged for this procedure in order to consider the extent to which consumers are bearing out-of-pocket costs. |
| Stage 4 - Decision | Accepted by the Minister for Health and Ageing on 21 May 2008. The Minister noted MSAC's advice from its 4 December 2009 meeting on 24 February 2010 |
| Stage 5 - Implementation | In progress |
Page currency, Latest update: 01 March, 2010
