Healthcare Industry News: tumor localization
News Release - March 25, 2009
Calypso Medical's Customers Obtain Reimbursement for Intrafraction Tracking and Beacon Transponders
SEATTLE--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Calypso(R) Medical Technologies, Inc., a medical device company dedicated to shaping the future of radiation therapy delivery and management, today announced that First Coast Service Options, the Medicare Administrative Contractor for Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, assigned region-wide payment amounts to the CPT(R) code 0197T for intrafraction tracking to capture daily use of the Calypso(R) 4D Localization System(TM).In addition, the Company announced that several national commercial payers and Medicare Administrative Contractors are paying claims for Calypso Medical’s implantable Beacon(R) electromagnetic transponders. These transponders, smaller than a grain of rice, are placed in or around a tumor and tracked continuously during external beam radiation therapy.
“Calypso Medical is very pleased with these latest reimbursement decisions, which affirm that national payers understand the clinical value of our technology’s critical role in optimizing radiation therapy for cancer patients. As the market penetration of the Calypso System continues to increase - our customer base more than doubled in 2008 - reimbursement decisions are vital to expanding our footprint so that more patients can be treated with our technology,” said Peter Buck, vice president, legal and general counsel for Calypso Medical. “Real-time intrafraction tracking, made possible with the Calypso System, provides radiation oncologists with a fundamental component of their treatment solution as they work to provide more precise and accurate delivery of radiation for every fraction of therapy delivered.”
Known as GPS for the Body(R), the Calypso 4D Localization System provides precise, continuous information on the location of the tumor during external beam radiation therapy. Any movement by the patient, including internal movement of the tumor, may cause the radiation to miss its intended target and hit adjacent healthy tissue. In contrast to other tumor targeting solutions, GPS for the Body technology provides continuous tumor position information, objectively and without ionizing radiation, thereby enabling optimization of the delivery of radiation to the tumor and minimization of misapplied radiation to normal tissue.
About Calypso Medical
Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc. is a Seattle-based privately held medical device company. The Company's proprietary tumor localization system utilizes miniaturized implanted devices (Beacon electromagnetic transponders) to continuously, accurately, and objectively pinpoint and track the location of tumors for improved accuracy and management of radiation therapy delivery. Calypso Medical addresses two major issues in modern radiation oncology: errors in treatment set-up and management of tumor motion during treatment. In addition, the Calypso 4D Localization System's non-ionizing electromagnetic guidance has been found to improve workflow efficiency and treatment room utilization. The technology is designed for body-wide cancers commonly treated with radiation therapy. The products are FDA 510(k) cleared for use in the prostate and post-operative prostatic bed.
Source: Calypso Medical Technologies
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