ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

CMS and FDA Fast-Track Medicare Coverage for Breakthrough Devices

other · 2026-04-24

A new expedited Medicare coverage route for groundbreaking medical devices is being developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Named the RAPID pathway, this program has the potential to shorten the time frame for Medicare coverage from more than a year to around two months following FDA market approval. The goal of this initiative is to enhance patient access to cutting-edge technologies.

Key facts

  • CMS and FDA are creating a fast-track Medicare coverage pathway for breakthrough devices.
  • The pathway is called RAPID.
  • RAPID could cut the wait for Medicare coverage from over a year to about 2 months after FDA market authorization.
  • The initiative aims to accelerate patient access to innovative technologies.

Entities

Institutions

  • Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
  • Food and Drug Administration

Sources