VertiFlex, a San Clemente, Calif.-based medical device company, has received approval from the AMA CPT Editorial Panel to add Category I CPT codes to describe one and two level insertion of interspinous spacers.
Here are five key points:
1. The CMS also added the insertion of interspinous spacers to the list of approved surgical procedures in ASCs, starting Jan. 1, 2016.
2. The Superion Interspinous Spacer System is a minimally invasive spinal implant.
3. The implant is intended to treat lumbar spinal stenosis and designed to decrease pressure on the affected nerves.
4. The device has been implanted in more than 2,000 patients globally.
5. Superion Interspinous received FDA PMA Approval in May 2015.
"The transition to a Category I code will erase the longstanding uncertainty associated with coverage and payment of Category III codes for facilities, physicians and patients," said Earl R. Fender, president and CEO, VertiFlex. "The inclusion of Superion's minimally invasive procedure in ASCs will afford Medicare beneficiaries access to care."