CMS Ruling Provides Medicare Beneficiaries Access to Astigmatism-Correcting Intraocular Lenses.FORT WORTH, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas, 18th-largest city in the United States[1], and voted one of "America’s Most Livable Communities. -- Alcon Laboratories, Inc., a subsidiary of Alcon, Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :ACL See access control list. 1. ACL - Access Control List. 2. ACL - Association for Computational Linguistics. 3. ACL - A Coroutine Language. A Pascal-based implementation of coroutines. ["Coroutines", C.D. ), announced today that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), previously known as the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) that administers the Medicare program and (CMS (1) See content management system and color management system. (2) (Conversational Monitor System) Software that provides interactive communications for IBM's VM operating system. ) issued a ruling that allows Medicare beneficiaries undergoing cataract surgery to choose an astigmatism-correcting intraocular lens (IOL IOL Intraocular lens, see there ). Astigmatism-correcting IOLs, such as Alcon's AcrySof([R]) Toric tor·ic adj. Of, relating to, or shaped like a torus or part of a torus. IOL, reduce or eliminate pre-existing corneal astigmatism at the time of cataract surgery. Similar to the CMS decision allowing cataract patients access to presbyopia-correcting IOLs, this new ruling allows patients to pay the additional charges for the correction of pre-existing astigmatism while Medicare provides customary reimbursement for cataract surgery. In addition to this ruling, CMS also noted that it will issue guidance to Medicare contractors, including the specific IOLs impacted by this ruling. Alcon believes that the AcrySof([R]) Toric IOL will be included in the guidance. "We are very pleased that CMS issued this ruling and look forward to providing the benefits of this technology to Medicare beneficiaries," said Bill Barton, vice president, area president United States and global marketing. About Alcon Alcon, Inc. (NYSE: ACL) is the world's leading eye care company with sales of $4.4 billion in 2005. Alcon, which has been dedicated to the ophthalmic industry for more than 50 years, develops manufactures and markets pharmaceuticals, surgical equipment and devices, contact lens care solutions and other vision care products that treat diseases, disorders and other conditions of the eye. For more information on Alcon, Inc., visit the Company's web site at www.alconinc.com. Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements. This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995. These statements include forward-looking statements specifically related to whether the AcrySof([R]) Toric IOL will be included in the Medicare guidance. These statements reflect the views of our management as of the date of this press release with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward- looking statements. You should read this press release with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. Except to the extent required under the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any of these forward- looking statements, whether to reflect new information or future events or circumstances or otherwise. |
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