Here are three spine devices earning coverage from payers in 2023:
1. Aetna updated its Clinical Policy Bulletin Feb. 8 following a class-action settlement related to its lumbar disc replacement coverage. The new review said FDA-approved total disc implants are "medically necessary" for treating lumbar degenerative disc disease at one level under certain criteria. Criteria for coverage include being 18 to 60 years old, having failed conservative treatment for at least six months, and confirmation of single-level disease through imaging.
2. Cigna will now cover Relievant Medsystems' Intracept procedure for the treatment of vertebrogenic low back pain.
3. Cigna implemented a positive coverage policy for Intrinsic Therapeutics' Barricaid bone-anchored annular closure device.