In Short Order, Indi Convinces Insurers To Cover Its Lung Test
Summary
But it’s fairly clear what United and the PPOs see: a chance to prevent a battery of invasive and expensive tests that are often called for when a scan detects lung growths between 8 and 30 millimeters across.Xpresys Lung aims to give a more definitive answer and steer a big percentage of people with indeterminate nodules into the “benign” category.“I think we’re seeing more of this type of test that helps avoid medical interventions that are expensive and risky for the patient,” said Scott Allocco, a consultant who specializes in personalized medicine, reimbursement, and diagnostics.About half of those patients go down the biopsy route, but when they do the median cost of all those interventions is $35,000, Indi’s Garner said, although he cautions that the numbers are approximate and represent early data.To convince United that the benefits of coverage outweighed the costs, Indi used some of its venture war chest to conduct a chart review study of 3,000 patients with lung nodules.