ASRA Pain Medicine, along with other medical societies, recently joined together to send letters to major insurers, including Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, expressing concern over policies that classify peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) as experimental or investigational for the treatment of chronic pain.
PNS has been studied and used clinically for more than two decades, with growing evidence supporting its effectiveness in treating a range of conditions such as chronic migraine, neuropathic pain, complex regional pain syndrome, and post-amputation pain. The letters highlight numerous clinical trials and real-world studies demonstrating meaningful improvements in pain relief and patient function, with some studies reporting significant reductions in disability and depression scores alongside reduced pain levels.
The societies emphasized that PNS is a minimally invasive treatment option with a favorable safety profile, often allowing patients to avoid more invasive surgical procedures or escalating opioid use. Advances in device technology and improved understanding of neuromodulation have further strengthened its clinical utility in recent years.
Importantly, PNS devices are FDA-cleared and recognized under national and local Medicare coverage policies, which acknowledge the therapy as reasonable and necessary for certain chronic pain conditions. In addition, a large body of literature, including randomized controlled trials and prospective studies, supports its use across multiple pain indications.
Through this coordinated advocacy effort, ASRA Pain Medicine and our partnering societies are calling on insurers to align coverage policies with the growing body of clinical evidence. Ensuring appropriate access to therapies like PNS is essential to expanding treatment options for patients living with chronic pain and supporting physicians in delivering evidence-based care.
Read the letter to Cigna Healthcare.
Read the letter to United Healthcare.
Read the letter to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.