The agreement expands access to EsoGuard testing across the nation’s largest integrated healthcare system serving more than 9 million veterans.
Lucid Diagnostics Inc has been awarded a contract by the US Department of Veterans Affairs for its EsoGuard Esophageal DNA Test, expanding access to esophageal precancer testing across the healthcare system that serves more than 9 million enrolled veterans annually.
The contract is issued under the VA Federal Supply Schedule and includes pre-negotiated pricing for EsoGuard that matches the established Medicare payment rate determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This enables VA hospitals and healthcare facilities nationwide to access EsoGuard through a single, national VA procurement framework.
EsoGuard is performed on samples collected through a brief, noninvasive office procedure using the company’s EsoCheck Esophageal Cell Collection Device. The test is designed for early detection of esophageal precancer in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, also known as chronic heartburn, who are at risk of developing esophageal precancer and cancer.
“We are proud to partner with the US Department of Veterans Affairs to expand access to EsoGuard for our nation’s veterans,” says Shaun O’Neil, president and chief operating officer of Lucid Diagnostics, in a release. “The VA operates at significant clinical and operational scale, and selection by a healthcare system of this size reflects the strength of the clinical evidence supporting EsoGuard.”
The commercial-stage, cancer prevention medical diagnostics company is a subsidiary of PAVmed Inc. According to the company, EsoGuard and EsoCheck represent the only commercially available tools designed to prevent cancer and cancer deaths through widespread, early detection of esophageal precancer in at-risk patients.
O’Neil says the company looks forward to working with the VA and additional integrated health systems around the country to incorporate EsoGuard into standard clinical practice.
The contract positioning allows the VA system to standardize esophageal precancer screening protocols across its network of medical facilities while maintaining cost alignment with existing Medicare reimbursement structures.
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