1. (a) Definitions. As used in this section:

   Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) means a physician or nonphysician practitioner supervised program that furnishes physician prescribed exercise, cardiac risk factor modification, psychosocial assessment, and outcomes assessment.

   Individualized treatment plan means a written plan tailored to each individual patient that includes all of the following:

   1. (i) A description of the individual's diagnosis.
   2. (ii) The type, amount, frequency, and duration of the items and services furnished under the plan.
   3. (iii) The goals set for the individual under the plan.

   Intensive cardiac rehabilitation (ICR) program means a physician or nonphysician practitioner supervised program that furnishes cardiac rehabilitation and has shown, in peer-reviewed published research, that it improves patients' cardiovascular disease through specific outcome measurements described in paragraph (c) of this section.

   Intensive cardiac rehabilitation site means a hospital outpatient setting or physician's office that is providing intensive cardiac rehabilitation utilizing an approved ICR program.

   Medical director means the physician who oversees the cardiac rehabilitation or intensive cardiac rehabilitation program at a particular site.

   Nonphysician practitioner means a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist as those terms are defined in section 1861(aa)(5)(A) of the Act.

   Outcomes assessment means an evaluation of progress as it relates to the individual's rehabilitation which includes all of the following:

   1. (i) Evaluations, based on patient-centered outcomes, which must be measured by the physician or program staff at the beginning and end of the program. Evaluations measured by program staff must be considered by the physician in developing and/or reviewing individualized treatment plans.
   2. (ii) Objective clinical measures of exercise performance and self-reported measures of exertion and behavior.

   Physician means a doctor of medicine or osteopathy as defined in section 1861(r)(1) of the Act.

   Physician-prescribed exercise means aerobic exercise combined with other types of exercise (such as strengthening and stretching) as determined to be appropriate for individual patients by a physician.

   Psychosocial assessment means an evaluation of an individual's mental and emotional functioning as it relates to the individual's rehabilitation which includes an assessment of those aspects of an individual's family and home situation that affects the individual's rehabilitation treatment, and psychosocial evaluation of the individual's response to and rate of progress under the treatment plan.

   Supervising practitioner means a physician or nonphysician practitioner that is immediately available and accessible for medical consultations and medical emergencies at all times items and services are being furnished to individuals under cardiac rehabilitation and intensive cardiac rehabilitation programs.

2. (b) General rule—(1) Covered conditions. Medicare Part B covers cardiac rehabilitation and intensive cardiac rehabilitation for beneficiaries who have experienced one or more of the following:

   1. (i) An acute myocardial infarction within the preceding 12 months;
   2. (ii) A coronary artery bypass surgery;
   3. (iii) Current stable angina pectoris;
   4. (iv) Heart valve repair or replacement;
   5. (v) Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) or coronary stenting;
   6. (vi) A heart or heart-lung transplant.
   7. (vii) Stable, chronic heart failure defined as patients with left ventricular ejection fraction of 35 percent or less and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II to IV symptoms despite being on optimal heart failure therapy for at least 6 weeks, on or after February 18, 2014 for cardiac rehabilitation and on or after February 9, 2018 for intensive cardiac rehabilitation; or
   8. (viii) Other cardiac conditions as specified through a national coverage determination (NCD). The NCD process may also be used to specify non-coverage of a cardiac condition for ICR if coverage is not supported by clinical evidence.

   9. (2) Components. Cardiac rehabilitation and intensive cardiac rehabilitation must include all of the following:

      1. (i) Physician-prescribed exercise each day cardiac rehabilitation items and services are furnished.
      2. (ii) Cardiac risk factor modification, including education, counseling, and behavioral intervention, tailored to the individual's needs.
      3. (iii) Psychosocial assessment.
      4. (iv) Outcomes assessment.
      5. (v) An individualized treatment plan detailing how components are utilized for each patient. The individualized treatment plan must be established, reviewed, and signed by a physician every 30 days.

   10. (3) Settings.—(i) Medicare Part B pays for cardiac rehabilitation and intensive cardiac rehabilitation in the following settings:

       1. (A) A physician's office.
       2. (B) A hospital outpatient setting.
       3. (ii) All settings must have a physician or nonphysician practitioner immediately available and accessible for medical consultations and emergencies at all times when items and services are being furnished under the program. This provision is satisfied if the physician or nonphysician practitioner meets the requirements for direct supervision for physician office services, at § 410.26 of this subpart; and for hospital outpatient services at § 410.27 of this subpart.

3. (c) Standards for an intensive cardiac rehabilitation program.

   1. (1) To be approved as an intensive cardiac rehabilitation program, a program must demonstrate through peer-reviewed, published research that it has accomplished one or more of the following for its patients:

      1. (i) Positively affected the progression of coronary heart disease.
      2. (ii) Reduced the need for coronary bypass surgery.
      3. (iii) Reduced the need for percutaneous coronary interventions;

   2. (2) An intensive cardiac rehabilitation program must also demonstrate through peer-reviewed published research that it accomplished a statistically significant reduction in 5 or more of the following measures for patients from their levels before cardiac rehabilitation services to after cardiac rehabilitation services:

      1. (i) Low density lipoprotein.
      2. (ii) Triglycerides.
      3. (iii) Body mass index.
      4. (iv) Systolic blood pressure.
      5. (v) Diastolic blood pressure.
      6. (vi) The need for cholesterol, blood pressure, and diabetes medications.
   3. (3) A list of approved intensive cardiac rehabilitation programs, identified through the national coverage determination process, will be posted to the CMS Web site and listed in the Federal Register.
   4. (4) All prospective intensive cardiac rehabilitation sites must apply to enroll as an intensive cardiac rehabilitation program site using the designated forms as specified at § 424.510 of this chapter. For purposes of appealing an adverse determination concerning site approval, an intensive cardiac rehabilitation site is considered a supplier (or prospective supplier) as defined in § 498.2 of this chapter.

4. (d) Medical director standards. The physician responsible for a cardiac rehabilitation program or intensive cardiac rehabilitation program is identified as the medical director. The medical director, in consultation with staff, is involved in directing the progress of individuals in the program and must possess all of the following:

   1. (1) Expertise in the management of individuals with cardiac pathophysiology.
   2. (2) Cardiopulmonary training in basic life support or advanced cardiac life support.
   3. (3) Be licensed to practice medicine in the State in which the cardiac rehabilitation program is offered.

5. (e) Supervising practitioner standards. Physicians or nonphysician practitioners acting as the supervising practitioner must possess all of the following:

   1. (1) Expertise in the management of individuals with cardiac pathophysiology.
   2. (2) Cardiopulmonary training in basic life support or advanced cardiac life support.
6. (f) Limitations on coverage—(1) Cardiac rehabilitation. The number of cardiac rehabilitation sessions are limited to a maximum of 2 1-hour sessions per day for up to 36 sessions over up to 36 weeks with the option for an additional 36 sessions over an extended period of time if approved by the Medicare Administrative Contractor.
7. (2) Intensive cardiac rehabilitation. Intensive cardiac rehabilitation sessions are limited to 72 1-hour sessions (as defined in section 1848(b)(5) of the Act), up to 6 sessions per day, over a period of up to 18 weeks.

[74 FR 62003, Nov. 25, 2009, as amended at 84 FR 63188, Nov. 15, 2019; 86 FR 65663, Nov. 19, 2021; 88 FR 79526, Nov. 16, 2023]