April 16, 2007 — Novadaq Technologies Inc., a developer of real-time medical imaging systems and image guided therapies for the operating room, has announced today that CMS Fiscal 2008 Rules include a new ICD-9-CM Procedure Code for Intra-operative Fluorescence Vascular Angiography, which can be performed using SPY Imaging Systems.
The new ICD-9-CM Procedure Code, effective October 1, 2007, will be used by hospitals to bill for costs associated with SPY Intra-operative Imaging procedures performed by cardiac surgeons in the operating room. Designation of a code in the international classification system could represent an important milestone in establishing intra-operative angiography as a standard of care.
"This code is tremendously important in supporting our ability to measure the impact of intra-operative imaging on the quality of care for coronary artery bypass patients at the health policy level," said T. Bruce Ferguson, M.D., professor and associate chief, Division of CT and Vascular Surgery, Division of Clinical Effectiveness, Department of Surgery, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.
The SPY System, cleared by the FDA in January 2005, is the only technology available to perform intra-operative fluorescence vascular angiography and image guided coronary artery bypass surgery. Approximately 400,000 patients in the U.S. undergo heart bypass surgery each year.
For more information visit website at www.novadaq.com.