Israel-based medical imaging technology company Nanox, and its deep-learning medical imaging analytics subsidiary, Nanox.AI, announce that the American Medical Association (AMA) has issued a new Category III Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code for quantitative CT tissue characterization, enabling potentially broader use of Nanox.AI’s HealthCCSng, a U.S. FDA-cleared AI-enabled cardiac imaging solution that detects coronary artery calcium (CAC), for patients in the U.S. The code will become effective on July 1, 2022.
Specifically, HealthCCSng can be incorporated into existing radiologist workflows, helping to identify and quantify CAC levels in their patients and stratify those patients based on their risk of cardiovascular disease and potential need for cardiac work-up and treatment.
“This is an important validation of our technology. We hope to promote detection and treatment of cardiovascular disease in the general population, many of whom don’t know they are at risk of cardiovascular disease,” says Zohar Elhanani, general manager at Nanox.AI. “Nanox.AI is proud to shepherd the creation of a reimbursement pathway in the United States for AI technologies in radiology, setting the stage for broader adoption of these life-saving technologies and potential population health solutions.”
Chest CT scans are a common imaging modality used in cardiovascular medicine. However, assessing CAC levels in chest CT scans can be a cumbersome, time-consuming manual task. HealthCCSng analyzes commonly ordered non-gated CT scans, which enables the quantification of CAC as an incidental finding. It automatically categorizes CT-scanned patients into three risk categories, based on the extent of cardiac calcium detected.
The new CPT III code issued by the AMA will allow U.S. radiologists, clinics, and health systems to utilize this code for Nanox.AI’s HealthCCSng when performing chest CT scans. This will enable radiologists to efficiently identify many undetected patients who are at risk for cardiovascular disease.
“AI-enabled technologies that are built into existing radiologist workflows can help them identify at-risk patients and provide enhanced clinical insights,” says Nanox CEO Erez Meltzer. “We believe this is an important milestone that will enable radiologists and physicians in the United States to provide their patients with better care and a promising step toward realizing the promise of Nanox’s end-to-end, globally connected medical imaging solution and the growing importance of AI-based imaging technologies in value-based care.”
Prior to its merger with Nanox, Nanox.AI announced the first-ever AMA approval of a CPT code for utilizing AI in radiology, specifically for the detection of vertebral compression fractures (VCF), an early sign of osteoporosis, as an incidental finding in chest CT scans. Nanox.AI’s VCF solution is the only FDA-cleared VCF product for AI in medical imaging, according to company officials.
