MASS Coalition Condemns New York Times' Inaccurate and Dangerous Portrayal of Life-Saving Skin Substitutes

Report Ignores Medicare Contractors' Attack on Patient Care and the Biden Administration's Inaction on Payment Reform

WASHINGTON, April 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The New York Times recently published an unbalanced and one-sided article unfairly tarnishing the value of skin substitutes, the manufacturers and providers who bring needed treatments to diabetics and others with wounds that would otherwise not heal. It is reprehensible to see an esteemed newspaper miss the heart of a story so significantly. The article inappropriately calls the products "bandages" and inaccurately frames the issuance of Medicare Contractor "Local Coverage Determinations" as addressing fraud and abuse, while the real point is cast aside. The current Medicare contractor proposal would do nothing to address fraud but instead would eliminate 85% of the products from the market altogether, causing an immediate treatment shortage and condemning thousands of Medicare beneficiaries to further suffering and the increased risk of amputations. Instead of highlighting sensational allegations of provider misuse, The Times should have examined why the Biden Administration identified this problem and attempted to resolve it by allowing Medicare contractors to severely limit patients' access to treatment options, rather than fixing the payment system. The Biden Administration's CMS leadership created this problem and could have resolved it years ago without risking the life and limbs of vulnerable Americans.

There has been a significant increase in skin substitute innovation and success in treating chronic wounds, which the Times wrongly oversimplified as "reusing medical waste." Medicare facilitated this increase a few years ago when CMS expanded access to skin substitute products prescribed outside of physicians' offices. The manufacturers have always and will continue to follow Medicare payment rules, which CMS has the authority to adjust to benefit patients, providers and the Medicare program. Instead, ill-advised Biden-era coverage policies, if they become effective, will seriously harm patients who are not responding to other available treatments by eliminating access to 85% of the products on the market.    

Many wounds won't heal without skin substitute treatment and when patients aren't getting the care they need, their health will decline. With chronic wounds, this can mean increased sepsis, amputations, and premature death. Treatments for sepsis and amputation involve expensive hospitalization that can come at a much higher Medicare price tag than skin substitutes. The MASS Coalition is focused on engaging with HHS officials to implement a revised payment methodology that pays providers appropriately and supports innovation so patients can continue to benefit from these critical wound care products. For the Times to imply an entire industry is unethical is ludicrous and unsubstantiated.

Contrary to the Times' claims, the MASS Coalition has shared information on this issue with Republican and Democratic Members of Congress, as well as both Biden and Trump Administration officials, as we have worked towards solutions to the coverage and payment issues for skin substitutes since 2023. Donating to political candidates is a standard business practice for American companies, and the MASS Coalition members have followed the law and ethical guidelines for doing so as they have urged the federal government to take action that will save lives.

The New York Times has missed the mark when it comes to telling the real story of how the prior Administration's Medicare contractors proposed severely reducing access to a crucial treatment for vulnerable Americans. We call on the Times to correct its story. Lives are at stake, and the MASS Coalition is hopeful that the Trump Administration will further its mission to protect patients and the Medicare program by rescinding the LCDs and reforming the payment system for skin substitutes. This is why members of the skin substitute industry formed the MASS Coalition and is what we have been asking for and supporting over the last two years.

About MASS Coalition
The Medicare Access to Skin Substitutes Coalition ("MASS Coalition") is comprised of wound care companies—including manufacturers, processors and distributors—that are committed to ensuring access to critical wound care products for Medicare beneficiaries and other patients suffering from diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, pressure ulcers and other chronic wounds.

Media Contact: Lauren Hughes, [email protected], (202) 974-5010

SOURCE MASS Coalition