A national coverage determination (NCD) is a United States' nationwide determination of whether Medicare will pay for an item or service.
Medicare coverage is limited to items and services that are considered "reasonable and necessary" for the diagnosis or treatment of an illness or injury (and within the scope of a Medicare benefit category).
In the absence of a NCD, an item or service is covered at the discretion of the Medicare contractors based on a Local Coverage Determination (LCD).
Read more about National Coverage Determination: What Triggers An NCD?, The NCD Decision Process, Relationship of NCDs and LCDs, Evaluating LCDs For NCD Consideration
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“Ignorance, forgetfulness, or contempt of the rights of man are the only causes of public misfortunes and of the corruption of governments.”
—French National Assembly. Declaration of the Rights of Man (drafted and discussed Aug. 1789, published Sept. 1791)