Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield Expands Coverage Policy
YOQNEAM, Israel, March 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Given Imaging (Nasdaq: GIVN) announced today that Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield has expanded its existing coverage policy to include initial diagnosis in patients with suspected Crohn’s disease without evidence of disease on conventional diagnostic tests such as small bowel follow through and upper and lower endoscopy. This policy is effective as of March 1, 2004.
“This is important news for the many patients in Arkansas who suffer from persistent stomach pain, have undergone repeated diagnostic tests and yet still do not have a definitive diagnosis,” said Gavriel D. Meron, President and CEO of Given Imaging Ltd. “Recent data confirms that Capsule Endoscopy is an extremely effective tool for making a definitive Crohn’s disease diagnosis as well as for ruling it out.”
Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield has 898,000 members. With this announcement, the total U.S. population with reimbursable access to Capsule Endoscopy for indications other than bleeding is approximately 32 million. More than 150 million Americans currently have reimbursable access to Capsule Endoscopy.
This is the latest is a series of expanded reimbursement announcements and follows the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association’s Medical Advisory Panel determination that capsule endoscopy meets the criteria of the Association’s Technology Evaluation Center (TEC) for initially diagnosing patients with suspected Crohn’s disease, following negative conventional diagnostic tests such as barium follow-through and upper and lower endoscopy, published in November 2003.
About Given Imaging
Given Imaging develops, produces and markets the Given(R) Diagnostic System featuring the M2A(R) Capsule Endoscope, the only method for direct visualization of the entire small intestine that is naturally ingested. The system uses a disposable miniature video camera contained in a capsule which is ingested by the patient. The M2A capsule passes naturally through the digestive tract, transmitting high quality color images, without interfering with the patient’s normal activities. The system received clearance from the FDA in August 2001 and received permission to affix the CE mark in May 2001. Distribution channels for the system have been established in more than 50 countries worldwide. More than 80,000 capsules have been used in clinical practice. Thousands of patients around the world have benefited from the M2A which has been used to diagnose a range of diseases of the small intestine including Crohn’s Disease, Celiac disease and other malabsorption disorders, benign and malignant tumors, vascular disorders and medication-related small bowel injury, as well as a range of pediatric small bowel disorders. For more information, visit http://www.givenimaging.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements about Given Imaging, including projections about our business, our future revenues, and our future profitability, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. For example, statements in the future tense, words such as “anticipates,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” and words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance identify such forward-looking statements. Those forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results could differ materially from our current expectations as a result of numerous factors, including but not limited to the following: changes in regulatory environment, our success in implementing our sales, marketing and manufacturing plan, protection and validity of patents and other intellectual property rights, the impact of currency exchange rates, the effect of competition by other companies, the outcome of future litigation, the reimbursement policies for our product from healthcare payors, quarterly variations in operating results, the possibility of armed conflict or civil or military unrest in Israel and other risks disclosed in our filings with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission.
SOURCE Given Imaging
Web Site: http://www.givenimaging.com
