New Code is a Potential Precursor to Higher Reimbursement Levels in German DRG System
Avinger, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGR),
a leading developer of innovative treatments for peripheral artery
disease (PAD), announced that the German Institute for Medical
Documentation and Information (DIMDI, Cologne) has established a
tracking code, known as an OPS code (Operationen- and
Prozedurenschluessel), for peripheral vascular optical coherence
tomography (OCT) imaging. This tracking code will apply to both
Avinger’s Pantheris image-guided atherectomy catheter and Ocelot family
of catheters for the crossing of chronic total occlusions (CTOs), which
utilize OCT imaging as part of the Company’s proprietary Lumivascular
platform. Although no incremental reimbursement has been assigned at
this point, the tracking code is in place to gather data that could
provide support for higher incremental reimbursement in the future. The
next-generation Pantheris system was granted a CE Mark in December 2017.
In Germany, hospital treatments are reimbursed through a
diagnosis-related group, or DRG, lump sum payment system. The
designation of new technologies to be tracked for use and associated
costs in the DRG system occurs once each year when the new surgery and
procedure OPS codes are made available to the Institute for the Hospital
Remuneration System, InEK, Siegburg.
Atherectomy is a minimally invasive treatment for PAD in which a catheter-based device is used to remove plaque from a blood vessel. Lumivascular technology allows physicians, for the first time ever, to see from inside the artery during an atherectomy procedure by using OCT, which is displayed on Avinger’s proprietary Lightbox console. Physicians performing atherectomy with other devices must rely solely on X-ray as well as tactile feedback to guide their interventions while treating complicated arterial disease. With the Lumivascular approach, physicians can more accurately navigate their devices and treat PAD lesions through real-time OCT images generated from inside the artery, all without exposing healthcare workers and patients to the negative effects of ionizing radiation.
About Avinger, Inc.Avinger is a commercial-stage medical device company that designs and develops the first-ever image-guided, catheter-based system that diagnoses and treats patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). Avinger is dedicated to radically changing the way vascular disease is treated through its Lumivascular platform, which currently consists of the Lightbox imaging console, the Ocelot family of chronic total occlusion (CTO) catheters, and the Pantheris® family of atherectomy devices. Avinger is based in Redwood City, CA. For more information, please visit www.avinger.com.
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