Artificial intelligence specialist Caption Health gains Medicare coverage for ultrasound platform
Artificial intelligence specialist Caption Health has been granted Medicare coverage for its ultrasound acquisition platform, the company announced Monday.
The Brisbane, California-based organization says the new technology add-on payment from CMS will expand access to Caption Guidance, a “key” diagnostic tool for hospital inpatient care. The NTAP designation was implemented to support quick adoption of new medical technologies expected to substantially help Medicare patients.
Reimbursement will go into effect Oct. 1 and cover ultrasound acquisitions for 461 diagnostic resource groups. These include heart failure, stroke and other common cardiovascular concerns.
“With the NTAP approval, America’s vulnerable senior population will have greater access to innovative AI-based guidance and interpretation technologies from Caption, which means ultrasound testing can be utilized as needed, offering the potential to positively impact treatment and outcomes,” CEO Steve Cashman said Monday.
Caption AI, which includes Caption Guidance, is the first and only FDA-cleared AI imaging software of its kind for cardiac ultrasound, the company said.
Officials did not indicate a potential dollar amount for reimbursement, but Caption said payments “could be significant” for hospitals, depending on costs and clinical situation.
For example, providers using Viz.ai’s stroke CT platform are eligible for up to $1,040 per patient under its recently renewed NTAP determination.
“We are on a mission to expand access to ultrasound diagnosis and have already made strides through enabling a broader set of care team members to acquire diagnostic quality ultrasound studies,” Cashman added in a statement. “This NTAP designation helps to build upon that.”
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.