Abiomed (NSDQ:ABMD) won expanded reimbursement for its flagship Impella heart pump from 4 private and Medicare Advantage insurers, including 1 of the largest names in the industry.

Humana, UnitedHealthcare Medicare Risk, Independence Blue Cross and Capital Blue Cross. The expanded coverage at the private or Medicare Advantage plans includes new Impella policies.

"This is huge for us. Humana is 1 of the largest commercial payers in the country, and for Humana to update these coverage policies to include Impella opens up a whole new patient population for us," Aimee Genzler, communications manager at Abiomed, told MassDevice.com today in a phone interview.

Abiomed also published a budget impact model for treatment of high risk patients who qualify for the Impella procedure. This study, published in The Journal of Managed Care Medicine, concluded that costs and re-admission rates were "minimal" even in a challenging patient population, the Danvers, Mass.-based company said in a press release.

"In this era of healthcare reform, these models help identify the most effective and efficient ways to manage patients, particular patients with the potential to generate significant costs if not managed properly," study author David Gregory said.

Last month, the FDA closed a 2011 warning letter about the marketing of the Impella heart pump, causing Abiomed’s shares to recover some of the value lost after the U.S. Justice Dept. said it was launching a probe of Abiomed’s marketing practices for the Impella.