Zyga Technology Announces Medicare Contractor WPS to Issue Positive Coverage of Minimally Invasive SI Joint Fusion
MINNETONKA, Minn., Oct. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Zyga Technology, Inc., a medical device company focused on the design, development, and commercialization of minimally invasive devices to treat underserved conditions of the lumbar spine, today announced that Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS), the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) covering the states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Indiana and Michigan, will update their Local Coverage Determinations (LCD) to include “percutaneous minimally invasive fusion of the sacroiliac (SI) joint for the treatment of back pain” effective December 17, 2015. This coverage decision, based on expanded clinical evidence and professional medical society guideline recommendations, concludes that minimally invasive SI joint fusion is medically necessary for Medicare patients who satisfy WPS’s criteria for coverage.
“The WPS decision underscores the fact that minimally invasive SI joint fusion is an effective and appropriate treatment for patients with SI joint disorders,” said Arnold E. Delbridge, MD of Cedar Valley Medical Specialists in Cedar Falls, Iowa. “I have personally seen the improved quality of life patients experience following this procedure, and am pleased that WPS will enable more people to take advantage of its clinical benefits.”
“Zyga is proud to partner with physicians and Professional Medical Societies to ensure that patients have access to new, minimally invasive therapies such as sacroiliac joint fusion,” said Jim Bullock, president and CEO of Zyga Technology, manufacturer of the SImmetry Sacroiliac Joint Fusion System. “Our technology is designed to offer patients who undergo SI joint fusion the best opportunity for lasting relief; it is exciting to know it is now a treatment option for more SI joint sufferers.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists low back pain (LBP) as the second most common cause of disability in U.S. adultsi. It has been reported that approximately 20 percent of all chronic LBP derives from the sacroiliac jointii.
About Zyga Technology, Inc.
Zyga Technology, Inc. is dedicated to the research, development and commercialization of solutions that provide empirical clinical and economic value in the treatment of underserved conditions of the spine. The company is marketing the SImmetry® Sacroiliac Joint Fusion System, a minimally invasive procedure intended for conditions including sacroiliac joint disruptions and degenerative sacroiliitis. The SImmetry System utilizes proven orthopedic principles of decortication, bone grafting and fixation to provide a true SI joint fusion. For more information, visit zyga.com.
i Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevalence of disabilities and associated health conditions among adults—United States, 1999. JAMA. 2001; 285(12):1571-1572.
ii Cohen SP et al. Sacroiliac Joint pain: A Comprehensive Review of Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Treatment. Expert Rev Neurother. 2013; 13(1):99-116
CONTACT:
Erin Morrison
Tel 952 698 9956
emorrison@zyga.com
