The VeriStrat test from Biodesix, Boulder, Colo, has received a positive coverage determination from Wellmark BCBS of Iowa and South Dakota. With the coverage decision, approximately 210 million Americans now have insurance coverage for VeriStrat, a proteomic blood test for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
In its policy statement Wellmark BCBS wrote that “the use of proteomic testing, including but not limited to the VeriStrat assay, is considered medically necessary in the management of NSCLC only when epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) status is wild-type (no mutation detected).”
VeriStrat provides physicians with prognostic and predictive information to guide treatment of advanced NSCLC. Assessing the patient’s VeriStrat status prior to making treatment decisions aids physicians in avoiding ineffective therapy options and better understanding the aggressiveness of the patient’s overall disease.
For more information about the Wellmark BCBS coverage determination, visit the Wellmark website. For more information about the VeriStrat test, visit Biodesix.
