Dec 23, 2021

Share Quantification of the structure and composition of the vessel wall and assessment of lipid-rich necrotic core plaque  Elucid, a Boston-based medical technology company harnessing scientific imaging and artificial intelligence to enable the precise diagnosis and treatment of the world’s leading cause of death announced a new CPT code unique to its Plaque IQ technology for CT angiography. Plaque composition, specifically lipid-rich necrotic core, has been identified as a major contributor to heart attacks and strokes. A new multicenter study published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery this month by Brajesh Lal, MD, et al utilizing Elucid’s software concluded “a composite of plaque geometry, plaque tissue composition, patient demographics, and clinical information predicted for major adverse neurologic events better than did the traditionally used degree of stenosis alone for those with carotid atherosclerosis.” The ElucidVivo software demonstrated a 40% improvement in predictive accuracy for these events, primarily stroke. Related Posts There is now an abundance of published literature on atherosclerosis which has long defined lipid-rich necrotic core as the major culprit for cardiovascular disease progression that leads to myocardial ischemia and acute events. “Obtaining reimbursement for providers to identify key biomarkers of arterial narrowing and plaque stability will advance the field of cardiovascular medicine and enable clinicians to intercept the disease earlier,” said Blake Richards , Elucid CEO, “Elucid’s mission is to measure flow limitation in the arteries that leads to chest pain and identify plaques that are vulnerable to rupture. Characterizing unstable plaque specifically is the key to reducing heart attacks, personalizing treatment, and restoring better quality of life.” CPT Category III codes are a set of temporary codes that allow data collection for emerging technologies, services, procedures, and service paradigms. These codes are intended to be used for data collection to substantiate widespread usage or to provide documentation for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process. Providers who utilize CTA can use this new code to track usage, which is the first step in achieving reimbursement for this important assessment