CPT Code for REMS in USA
REMS obtains CPT Code in the USA
In 2023 the American Medical Association (AMA) – CMS assigned a CPT code for the reimbursement of REMS bone assessment, officially applicable from January 2024. This important milestone arrived after a long process and strict evaluation from CMS and will facilitate the diffusion of REMS technology also in the United States of America, where the Echolight is present through the Echolight Medical Corp: still more than 90% of people who gets a bone fracture never undergo a bone test and discover their bone fragility through the fracture event itself. Currently, osteoporosis remains a late and underdiagnosed pathology without clear symptoms that has a unsustainable impact on patient quality of life (with a very low life expectation for fragile older patients) and on healthcare systems.REMS technology will allow early detection of osteoporosis, short term monitoring of patient and reduce fractures by providing a non-invasive, non-ionizing fracture risk assessment for immediate action in terms of prevention and care.
«The recent CPT code assigned to REMS is an additional step towards the successful diffusion of our technology also in the US – explains the Echolight CEO Sergio Casciaro – supporting healthcare professionals in providing REMS innovative bone evaluations, that represent nowadays the most personalized diagnosis accessible to all people for a real prevention of bone fractures»
The CPT code assigned is “0815T: Ultrasound-based Radiofrequency Ultrasound Multispectometry (REMS), bone-density study and fracture-risk assessment, 1 or more sites, hips, pelvis, or spine” for bone density study and fracture risk assessment, through monitoring of the proximal femur and the lumbar spine. The American population will be able to use the REMS diagnostic test for over six hundred disorder, listed in Medicare coverage policies, for which a bone density study is required. REMS ultrasound technology is highly precise and able to automatically recognize and exclude artefacts (prosthesis, fracture, calcifications, osteophytes, etc.), unlike DXA technique, for which the exclusion of the aforementioned artefacts does not occur in automatic mode and therefore human error can alter the diagnostic result, making the patient healthier than he really is. The absence of ionizing radiation allows also to serve fragile populations, such as bedridden people, pregnant women, cancer patients and so on. Thanks to its high precision and repeatability, REMS technology allows to perform short-term monitoring of musculo-skeletal health status while its portability permits an easy and simple examination not only at the clinical site but also at the patient home.
