BREAKING: Medicare Denials To Cost Legs

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Saturday, January 31, 2026

A major Medicare billing issue is emerging across 24 states, and vascular specialists are warning it could delay—or deny—time-sensitive, limb-saving care for patients with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD).

On this episode of The Heart of Innovation, we are joined by two leading voices on the front lines:

🔹 Dr. Elliot Adams, Vascular Surgeon, whose office-based lab (OBL) is directly impacted by the denials

🔹 Dr. Bob Tahara, Vascular Surgeon and Past President of the OEIS (Outpatient Endovascular and Interventional Society)

Physicians are reporting that new Medicare CPT codes for modern PAD revascularization procedures—codes that replaced deleted legacy codes—are being denied by Medicare contractors Noridian and Novitas, despite being billed correctly. These denials affect procedures that often mean the difference between saving a leg or losing it.

If not clarified and corrected quickly, this issue could: • Block reimbursement for limb-salvage procedures in office-based labs • Delay urgent care for PAD patients • Increase preventable amputations and suffering

At the same time, patients are already calling our Leg Saver Hotline nightly due to delays and denials through Medicare Advantage plans—often in severe pain, afraid they're running out of time. This Medicare CPT issue risks compounding that crisis.

🚨 We need clinicians and patients to hear this—and to speak up.

👉 If you are a physician, clinician, or billing professional seeing these denials

👉 If you are a patient who has received a Medicare denial or delay for PAD care

👉 If you've been told a limb-saving procedure won't be covered

Please tune in. Your experience matters.

You can also email [email protected] for info on joining the LIVE in studio discussion!

📞 NEED HELP OR SUPPORT?

Leg Saver Hotline: 1-833-PAD-LEGS

If you've received a denial letter or are facing delays, call us. You are not alone.

#peripheralarterydisease #padsupport #medicare #medicaredbilling #medicaredenials