Third national coverage policy published in 2023 for proven vertebrogenic pain treatment
MINNEAPOLIS – November 13, 2023 – Relievant Medsystems, a company dedicated to transforming the diagnosis and treatment of vertebrogenic low back pain, today announced that Humana has published a favorable coverage policy for the Intracept® Procedure. The coverage went into effect on Thursday, November 2, and expands access to the procedure, when clinically appropriate, to more than 13 million patients.
Humana is now the third national payer to issue a positive coverage policy for the Intracept Procedure in 2023. Cigna Healthcare and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield also published positive coverage policies that went into effect in June and September, respectively. These three policies expand access to more than 68 million lives.
“In the past few months we’ve seen a tremendous acceleration of our ability to provide patients and physicians throughout the United States with access to this proven treatment for vertebrogenic pain,” said Tyler Binney, President and CEO of Relievant Medsystems. “Humana’s coverage decision is the latest milestone in our journey to educate payers about the safety and efficacy of the Intracept Procedure and to help the millions of vertebrogenic pain patients achieve lasting relief.”
Of the 30 million people in the U.S. with chronic low back pain, 1 in 6 are likely to have vertebrogenic pain, a distinct type of chronic low back pain caused by damage to vertebral endplates, the interface between the disc and the vertebral body. Patients typically have pain in the middle of their low back, which worsens when they bend over, sit for long periods of time, or when they are active. A physician can confirm a patient’s pain is vertebrogenic by observing Modic changes, a biomarker seen on standard MRI that indicates inflammation at the vertebral endplate.
“Vertebrogenic pain is a widespread and debilitating condition which contributes to massive health care expenditures and disability. The Intracept Procedure has empowered me to help my patients gain durable and dramatic relief from pain as well as improvement in function through a single, minimally invasive treatment,” said Brian J. Goentzel, MD, Ascension Medical Group Via Christi, Wichita, KS. “As awareness of this form of chronic low back pain and its treatment through the Intracept Procedure continues to grow, I applaud Humana’s decision to be on the forefront of treatment by increasing patient and physician access to this life-changing therapy. My hope is that other national payers will see Humana’s coverage policy and will be motivated to make the decision to allow their patients access to this proven procedure.”
More than 15,000 patients have been treated with Relievant Medsystems’ minimally invasive Intracept Procedure, the only FDA-cleared treatment for chronic vertebrogenic low back pain. It is a same-day, outpatient procedure that uses targeted radiofrequency energy to stop the basivertebral nerve (BVN) from transmitting pain signals to the brain and takes approximately one hour to perform.
Based on existing data, patients typically experience minimal post-procedure discomfort and a quick recovery. The Intracept Procedure is supported by strong scientific evidence, including two Level I randomized clinical trials and data showing improvements are sustained more than five years post-procedure.
For more information about the Intracept Procedure, visit: https://www.relievant.com/intracept/.
About Relievant Medsystems
Relievant Medsystems is a commercial-stage medical device company transforming the diagnosis and treatment of vertebrogenic pain, a form of Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP), with the Intracept Procedure – a novel, clinically proven and commercially available treatment designed to improve the quality of life for millions of indicated patients. For more information about Relievant Medsystems and the Intracept Procedure, visit www.relievant.com.
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