Zebra-Med’s solution, which will be included under the new Category III CPT codes for radiologists, will help promote increased detection of risks for osteoporotic fractures in the U.S. population and broader adoption of AI in population health
Zebra Medical Vision, the leading medical imaging analytics company, announces an industry-first, landmark approval of a Category III Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code application for utilizing AI for VCF detection as an incidental finding in chest CT, by the American Medical Association (AMA). This is the first artificial intelligence CPT code specific to radiology, and will be released on July 1 this year on the AMA’s website, becoming effective January 1, 2022.
The new CPT III code was submitted to the AMA’s CPT Editorial Panel, by the The American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America, American Roentgen Ray Society, and the Association of University Radiology.
Nearly 50 percent of all women and a quarter of men over the age of 50 will suffer an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime, with 2 million cases of broken bones in the U.S. alone each year. Moreover, these fractures cost an estimated $52 billion annually in the U.S., according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), and 75 percent of them go undetected. Zebra Medical Vision’s VCF solution substantially increases detection rates, raising the number of patients eligible for treatment, without the need for additional staff, imaging, or radiation.
Sites that run fracture-prevention programs or population-management programs use Zebra Medical Vision to systematically onboard patients to these programs and initiate further examinations and treatment. The code approved by the AMA will allow clinics to code for this AI application and help them identify more patients for potential osteooporotic fractures.
Zebra Medical Vision’s FDA and CE-cleared VCF solution, which enables radiologists to diagnose vertebral fractures more confidently and quickly for increased detection of osteoporosis, would be coded under the latest approved CPT code proposal as the only FDA-cleared VCF product for AI in medical imaging on the market.
As triage solutions, which saturate the AI-in-medical-imaging market, become less relevant to solving long-term medical problems, Zebra Medical Vision is transforming the AI-in-medical-imaging field by shifting to population health solutions. The company is providing real cost-effective technology for healthcare systems and providers to improve pre-emptive care and boost the quality of existing care services.
“The latest development regarding the CPT code approval by the AMA is an industry milestone in the effort to boost the adoption of AI in imaging for VCFs, and other underdiagnosed chronic conditions for which AI can help reveal and drive care,” says Zohar Elhanani, CEO of Zebra Medical Vision. “Backed by such a major endorsement from the CPT panel and Zebra Medical Vision’s technology, radiologists will now be able to identify more patients with undiagnosed fractures and provide better care for patients who may be vulnerable.”
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