More than nine million military members, veterans and their families enrolled in Tricare are now covered for laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) after Monteris Medical led an extensive advocacy effort to expand coverage.
Monteris specializes in magnetic resonance-guided laser ablation systems used in LITT, a minimally invasive treatment for complex neurological diseases. The minimally invasive procedure provides a surgical alternative to the traditional open-skull (craniotomy) approach for abnormal brain tissue ablation.
Monteris’ robotically-controlled NeuroBlate system destroys abnormal brain tissue including primary and metastatic brain tumors, radiation necrosis and epileptogenic foci, through a small hole in the skull using laser energy.
NeuroBlate is currently the only FDA-approved LITT system with a robotic platform, allowing the surgeon to robotically control the laser probe and ablation with increased visualization of brain lesions.
Monteris highlighted the clinical evidence-based benefits of LITT, which show patients typically experience shorter hospital stays, lower complications rates and improved quality of life and surgical outcomes compared to the open surgical approach, in its successful presentation to the Defense Health Agency.
U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Michigan, is a retired Marine Corps. lieutenant general who championed the coverage policy change efforts said the collaboration with Monteris will give military members and their families access to leading medical technology when they need it most.
“Our military families deserve the best care available, and that includes access to minimally invasive brain surgery,” Bergman said in a statement released by Monteris. “This decision is a win for military medicine and a testament to what we can achieve when we put those serving our country first.”
