NHS England opened a consultation on clinical commissioning policy for catheter ablation in atrial fibrillation

On September 24, 2020, NHS England opened a consultation on clinical commissioning policy for the use of catheter ablation in paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation (AF).

In the clinical commissioning policy proposal, catheter ablation is recommended to be available as a treatment option through routine commissioning in paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation. Specific inclusion and exclusion criteria are described in the document.

NHS England will make a final decision whether AF catheter ablation will be routinely commissioned following a recommendation from the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group.

Catheter ablation is currently available on the NHS, and there is evidence that supports its use in reducing the symptoms of AF. It is not clear how many times this procedure should be repeated if the symptoms return.

Treatment will be commissioned from a limited number of centers. Each center should demonstrate minimum numbers of procedures as defined in the Service Specification “Cardiology – Electrophysiology and Ablation Services (Adult).”

Submission of data to the National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (NICOR) registry will be mandatory for all catheter ablation procedures performed.

See more information here

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