The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) nearly tripled the reimbursement for ImmuKnow®, the immune cell function assay by Cylex Incorporated®, FDA-cleared for the detection of cell-mediated immune response in populations undergoing immunosuppressive therapy for organ transplant. This significant increase was granted in a time when the overall CMS clinical fee schedule experienced a comprehensive decrease in laboratory reimbursement rates.
Increasing by 267% to $191.19 over the 2009 rate, $71.58, the new rate becomes effective January 1, 2011.
According to Stephen Bloch, MD, a member of Cylex’s board, "We believe the best option for a transplant patient undergoing immunosuppression therapy is to receive individualized patient management from their clinicians. These changes in reimbursement reduce a financial challenge for those transplant professionals seeking to provide such individualized management for their patients."
ImmuKnow complements immunomodulatory therapy and helps physicians manage immunosuppression in posttransplant patients, thereby facilitating reduced risks of infection and rejection by:
providing a global marker of immune function and response to immunosuppression at the cellular level
detecting changes in CD4 cell ATP production
helping to define a range of stable immune function for each patient
providing critical, actionable information on an ongoing, individual basis when used longitudinally to continually assess immune status (in combination with other routine monitoring tests)
Medicare and most private insurance carriers cover and reimburse for ImmuKnow testing, facilitating physician access to this important biomarker of immune function.
Source: Cyclex, Inc
