Vertera touts CMS reimbursement nod for radiolucent spinal fusion device

Vertera Spine said today that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a new ICD-10 code for its radiolucent porous spinal fusion device.
The company’s Cohere cervical interbody fusion device is the 1st and only clinically-available porous fusion device made out of Vertera Spine’s radiolucent PEEK biomaterial. It is also the only device approved for use under the new code.
Conventionally, spinal interbody fusion devices have been classified by the implant material – either synthetic or tissue-derived alternative.
But Vertera said using a single coding identifier for all synthetic devices may not be appropriate for accurately describing fusion procedures, since companies have developed more advanced orthopedic biomaterials.
The unique properties of porous PEEK likely prompted the new ICD-10 code, which will go into effect October 1st, according to Vertera.
“The issuance of this new code signifies the unique performance of porous PEEK devices compared with other fusion devices and the importance of monitoring how this technology impacts healthcare,” Dr. Richard Guyer, from the Texas Back Institute, said in prepared remarks. “As a clinician, I am always looking for innovative technologies, such as Vertera Spine’s porous PEEK Cohere device, that have the potential to improve patient outcomes.”
“The development of porous PEEK has allowed for the combination of radiolucency and porosity in an interbody implant th...

Source: Mass Device - June 13, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Sarah Faulkner Tags: Spinal Surgical Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Vertera Spine Source Type: news