The Guardian, an implantable acute coronary syndrome event detector, has qualified for CMS' transitional pass-through payment as part of the 2022 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System.
Designed by Angel Medical Systems, an Eatontown, N.J.-based medtech company, the Guardian uses machine learning to establish a patient's baseline once implanted, then records the heart's electrical activity to detect and alert for heart attacks.
The transitional pass-through payment provides outpatient facilities, such as ASCs and hospital outpatient departments, with an incremental Medicare payment for procedures in which the device is used. The status typically is awarded to technologies that show a substantial clinical improvement over existing technologies.
CMS created a CPT code (C1833) to describe the procedure. The transitional pass-through payment will begin Jan. 1, 2022, and continue for two to three years, according to Angel Medical Systems.
"This is a seminal moment for AngelMed with the assignment of a dedicated C-code that supports our value proposition and facilitates offering The Guardian at Hospitals and ASCs," CEO Brad Snow said in a news release. "The infrastructure investment will propel the company's technology as a valuable clinical option for high-risk ACS patients who have already survived a prior heart attack."