Sydney-based AtCor Medical (ASX: ACG) has announced a significant boost for its SphygmoCor heart monitoring system after the American Medical Association (AMA) accepted a recommendation from the Renal Physician Associations recognising it as a procedure that has demonstrated clinical efficacy.
The non-invasive SphygmoCor system identifies the effects of reflected blood pressure in the central aortic pressure wave - effects that can not be detected with standard blood pressure monitoring.
According to the company, more than 3,700 SphygmoCor systems are currently in use worldwide at major medical and research institutions, as well as in a number of clinical trials.
AtCor Medical said in a statement Tuesday that the AMA's Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) panel has recommended the addition of Category 1 CPT code 9300X1 for non-invasive calculation and analysis of central arterial pressure waveforms with interpretation and report.
"Category 1 CPT codes are reserved for those procedures that have demonstrated clinical efficacy, are performed by many physicians or other qualified health care professionals across the United States and have US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance," the company said.
"This is a seminal event at AtCor Medical's history," said CEO and President Duncan Ross. "Building a clinical business in the world's largest medical device market has been a cornerstone of AtCor Medical's investment strategy since our IPO in 2005."
He continued, "This addition marks a significant step toward more widespread clinical adoption and greater patient access to life-saving technology."
The purpose of CPT is to provide a standardised language that accurately describes medical, surgical and diagnostic services, and thereby serves as an effective means for consistent nationwide communication among physicians and other healthcare providers, patients, and third parties in the United States.
It is the most widely accepted medical nomenclature used to report medical procedures and services under public and private health programs.