Research

In June 2021, we submitted our application to CMS/Medicare for a National Coverage Determination of racemic ketamine as a treatment for CRPS and pain. An NCD would mean that insurance companies would no longer be able to deny coverage on the grounds that ketamine is experimental to treat CRPS. Unfortunately, CMS denied our application for an NCD for Ketamine for CRPS. They told us they felt the research was not strong enough. In November 2022 we submitted another application to Medicare for a National Coverage Determination for Ketamine for Major Depression. After less than a month Medicare turned down our second application stating that they felt once again that the research wasn’t strong enough.

Ketamine is an old and generic medication that was created originally as an anesthetic drug and has no big pharmaceutical companies behind it to fight for insurance to cover what is considered an off-label use of the drug. In order to get insurances to cover Ketamine for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome stronger research is needed.

The Ketamine Taskforce is excited to announce that we are partnering with a large University to complete a research study in order to prove that Ketamine Infusions help reduce the pain from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome by at least 50% and reduce the need for the use of other drugs such as opiates.

The Ketamine Taskforce is also partnering with this University to do a longitudinal research study proving the efficacy of Ketamine for Major Depression. We plan to recruit 250 veterans for this study and will have 5 community partners in Florida to help treat patients during the study and accumulate data.