Friday, April 20, 2018
Vituro Health has created the Medicare Elite Access (MEA) program to allow enhanced access for prostate cancer patients to the most experienced HIFU physicians in the United States. This program expands Vituro Health's already robust Insurance Reimbursement Assistance (IRA) program. The MEA program is designed to connect a Medicare patient with a Vituro trained HIFU physician and assist the patient with all reimbursement opportunities. According to Dr. Stephen Scionti, Medical Director of Vituro Health, "HIFU offers patients a greater quality of life by significantly lowering the side effects of erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence, and now HIFU will be more affordable for Medicare patients with prostate cancer. When performed by an experienced physician, prostate ablation with HIFU offers better preservation of quality of life than radical treatments and is an ideal treatment for many Medicare patients."
Medicare created a C-code in July of 2017 for the facility costs of HIFU treatment and in recent months has begun reimbursing in certain regions of the United States. C-codes are unique temporary pricing codes established by CMS that apply only to the hospital outpatient setting and the ambulatory surgery center setting. The C-code does not apply to physician services or the specialty services provided by the Vituro Health Patient Care Team. The Care Team will assist patients in locating the most experienced HIFU physicians in regions where Medicare reimbursement is possible, ensuring the lowest out-of-pocket costs to the patient. "Medicare acknowledges the value of access to HIFU for patients diagnosed with prostate cancer. With the new technologies available, all men should begin testing and diagnosing for prostate cancer at age 40 and above. We can now treat patients that qualify with a non-invasive, radiation free treatment that drastically reduces the common side effects of traditional treatments," says Clete Walker CEO of Vituro Health.
The MEA program complements the IRA program that has already successfully helped many Vituro patients with commercial insurance achieve reimbursement for their HIFU procedure. Additionally, Cigna Health recently announced that HIFU will now be covered for patients who have recurrent prostate cancer after radiation therapy. These patients require careful evaluation by a HIFU specialist to determine if they are eligible for salvage (post- radiation) HIFU but CIGNA patients can now expect that their salvage HIFU procedure can be covered. The Vituro Health Patient Care Team is committed to helping patients who are good candidates for HIFU maximize opportunities for reimbursement while minimizing out-of-pocket costs. The IRA program is provided free of charge to Vituro patients.
Vituro Health Centers of Excellence are staffed by skilled and experienced HIFU physicians, serve patients from all 50 states and has become a medical tourism destination for patients around the globe. To locate a member of our experienced HIFU Medical team or learn more information about HIFU and reimbursement, please visit www.viturohealth.com/MEA or call our Elite Access Line at 866-4-VITURO (8488876).
About Vituro Health
Vituro Health empowers men with comprehensive prostate care during all stages of their lives. We arm partner physicians with HIFU (high intensity focused ultrasound) technology and other patient-centric, concierge services to elevate the standard of care and patient experiences. Vituro Health serves patients worldwide and is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., with Centers of Excellence in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington, DC. The Vituro Health Physicians Network are carefully selected based on their depth of experience, expertise and dedication to achieving the highest levels of patient outcomes. For more information, visit www.viturohealth.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: Emily Ferrell
eferrell@viturohealth.com
205.862.0016
