The North American Spine Society issued a coverage recommendation for minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion.
The recommendation is titled "Percutaneous Sacroiliac Joint Fusion, Defining Appropriate Coverage Positions."
Here are five things to know:
1. The coverage criteria includes a list of eight criteria specifically intended to ensure non-surgical options are excised and evaluated for at least six months, and confirm the SI joint is the primary pain source while ruling out other sources of pain throughout the spine-hip-SI joint complex.
2. There is no single clinical, imaging or provocative test definitely confirming the SI joint as the primary pain source, the committee notes. But having a diagnostic intra-articular injection of the SI joint with local anesthetic can be a critical step in that direction.
3. The committee concluded the SI joint is an established source of low back and buttock pain and the MIS SI joint fusion procedures has proven relatively safe based on the literature.
4. Pain score outcomes are consistent in the published evidence and improve with both open and MIS joint fusion. However, MIS procedures were associated with less blood loss and fewer complications.
5. NASS recommended minimally invasive procedures are covered for SI joint fusion.
"The NASS policy recommendation further validates the existing coverage recommendation from ISASS and should help to further expand coverage for the iFuse procedure throughout the U.S.," said Jeffrey Dunn, president and CEO of SI-BONE.