A Major Milestone for Interventional Psychiatry
The recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) decisions to grant both New Technology Add-on Payment (NTAP) and New Technology Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) designations for SAINT® (Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy) represent a transformative moment in the field of interventional psychiatry.
These designations go beyond reimbursement—they signal recognition of clinical innovation, validation of therapeutic impact, and a pathway toward broader patient access.
What Is SAINT® TMS?
SAINT® is an advanced form of accelerated, high-dose, precision-targeted transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) designed for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD).
Unlike conventional TMS protocols, SAINT delivers:
Clinical trials have demonstrated remarkably high remission rates, with many patients improving within 2–3 days.
Understanding NTAP: Supporting Innovation in the Inpatient Setting
CMS developed the New Technology Add-on Payment (NTAP) program to ensure that hospitals can adopt new, high-cost, high-impact medical technologies without financial loss.
To qualify for NTAP, a technology must demonstrate:
SAINT® met these criteria and became:
The first interventional psychiatry treatment to receive the NTAP designation
This allows hospitals to receive additional reimbursement (up to $12,675 per case) in addition to standard inpatient payments.
Understanding APC: Expanding Access in the Outpatient Setting
CMS also assigned SAINT® to New Technology APC categories under the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS).
APCs are the mechanism through which CMS reimburses outpatient procedures, grouping services based on:
For SAINT®, CMS established:
This is a critical step, as it enables hospitals to deliver SAINT® in an outpatient setting, where most psychiatric care occurs.
Why This Matters for Patients
Historically, one of the greatest barriers to innovation in psychiatry has been reimbursement.
Even highly effective treatments often face delays in adoption because:
The NTAP + APC designations address these barriers directly:
1️. Improved Access
More hospitals can now offer SAINT®, expanding availability for patients with severe depression.
2️. Faster Adoption
Reimbursement reduces financial risk for health systems, accelerating implementation.
3️. Equity in Care
Medicare beneficiaries—often among the most vulnerable—gain access to cutting-edge treatment.
Why This Matters for Health Systems
For hospital systems and academic centers, these CMS decisions are equally significant:
Importantly, CMS has maintained payment stability into 2026, ensuring continued access and program viability.
A Signal of Broader Change in Psychiatry
The dual designation of NTAP and APC for SAINT® reflects a broader shift:
Psychiatry is entering an era where device-based, circuit-targeted treatments are being recognized at a systems level
This includes:
Together, these developments are moving psychiatry toward a model similar to other medical specialties—where innovation, reimbursement, and clinical practice evolve in parallel.
Implications for the Future of Interventional Psychiatry
At the Center for Interventional Psychiatry at UTHealth Houston, these developments reinforce a strategic direction:
SAINT® represents not only a new treatment, but a new paradigm:
Final Thoughts
The CMS NTAP and APC designations for SAINT® TMS mark a critical inflection point:
For patients with treatment-resistant depression, this means something profoundly important:
Access to faster, more effective treatment is becoming a reality—not just a possibility
References
Contact
Request for Second Opinion Form – https://Go.uth.edu/CIPIntake
Phone – (713) 486-2621
Fax – (713) 500-2728
E-mail – [email protected]
Website: https://go.uth.edu/CIP
Disclaimer
This article was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to help organize and refine the presentation of scientific information. All medical and scientific content has been reviewed and approved by Joao L. de Quevedo, MD, PhD, Executive Director of the Center for Interventional Psychiatry at the John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center at UTHealth Houston. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice.