Nevro (NYSE:NVRO) today announced positive updates to multiple spinal cord stimulation (SCS) coverage policies. Aetna’s new SCS policy explicitly covers PDN (painful diabetic neuropathy), effective Aug. 29, 2022. Aetna’s health plan covers approximately 22 million commercial lives. Novitas and First Coast, Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) that represent 12 states, also provided a positive update. They […]
Aetna
DTW: What in the world will Thrive Earlier Detection do with $257 million?
In this week’s podcast, two executives from Thrive Earlier Detection explain how the “turbo-charged” diagnostics company intends to upend how, when and where cancer is diagnosed. Dr. Isaac Kinde, co-founder and head of research and innovation, walks us through the company’s CancerSEEK test and how the company is marrying new technology with an innovative clinical […]
The top 5 MassDevice stories of the week — July 31, 2020
The past week has seen a slew of Q2 earnings reports from medical device companies — and the picture overall hasn’t been pretty amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, medtech CEOs during their earnings calls said they’re starting to see some signs of hospital procedures recovering a bit even as the southern U.S. deals with a […]
Aetna accuses Conformis of trying to use patient’s lawsuit to compel coverage
Joint replacement implant maker Conformis (NSDQ:CFMS) is improperly using a Colorado man’s denial of benefits lawsuit to force Aetna to cover its customized knee implants, the health insurer recently argued in a federal court filing. Billerica, Mass.-based Conformis joined John Michael Schaub of Golden, Colo., in his lawsuit against Aetna, filed in May in U.S. District Court […]
Judge clears CVS to buy Aetna for $70B
A federal judge has approved CVS Health’s (NYSE:CVS) $70 billion acquisition of health insurer Aetna (NYSE:AET). Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia had threatened to delay or kill the merger in December over antitrust concerns. The American Medical Association, among others, had expressed concerns about the deal. The […]
Judge threatens to delay or even spike $70m CVS-Aetna merger
A federal judge last week reportedly threatened to derail the already-closed $70 billion buyout of health insurer Aetna (NYSE:AET) by CVS Health (NYSE:CVS), saying he felt “kept in the dark, kind of like a mushroom.” At a normally routine hearing last week prior to approving the deal, Judge Richard Leon, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, […]
ACC ’18 Roundup: Abbott releases long-term HeartMate 3 data
Abbott (NYSE:ABT) touted two-year data yesterday from its trial designed to compare the company’s HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device to its HeartMate 2 device in patients with advanced heart failure. Data from the study were published in The New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 67th Annual Scientific Session. More […]
CVS Health to buy Aetna in $69B merger
CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) plans to buy health insurer Aetna (NYSE:AET) in a $69 billion merger, according to a report from The New York Times. The deal comes as companies like Amazon (NSDQ:AMZN), which is reportedly trying to launch into the pharmacy business, are looking to change the way that consumers interact with the healthcare industry. Get the full story at our sister […]
Boston Scientific logs reimbursement wins
Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) yesterday revealed a trifecta of reimbursement wins for its S-ICD subcutaneous defibrillator from the American Medical Assn., Medicare and Aetna.
Diabetes: Medtronic teams up with Aetna to tackle Type II diabetes
NxStage Medical lands Aetna reimbursement win
Health insurance and technology giant Aetna modified its policy on NxStage Medical’s (NSDQ:NXTM) System One home hemodialysis system. dubbing the device "medically necessary" rather than "experimental."
