OXFORDSHIRE, England & MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Oxford Immunotec, Inc. announces that, following a reconsideration request made by the company, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has increased the national limitation amount (NLA) for the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code 86481 which is used for the T-SPOT.TB test. Effective January 1, 2012 the new NLA for 86481 is $106.12, an increase of $18.90 over the previous reimbursement amount of $87.22.
The T-SPOT.TB test is a blood test for tuberculosis (TB) infection and is based on a patented enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) technology which is a highly accurate and innovative way to measure T-cell response. The T-SPOT.TB test measures the patient’s immune response to T-cells that have been sensitized to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis infection.
The T-SPOT.TB test is also known as an Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA). The introduction of IGRAs provides healthcare institutions with a key tool in eradicating TB in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend that IGRAs can be used in all situations where the tuberculin skin test (TST) is currently used.¹ The T-SPOT.TB test has become widely utilized in hundreds of hospitals, medical practices and public health facilities throughout the United States.
Commenting on the change in the NLA, Dr. Peter Wrighton-Smith, CEO of Oxford Immunotec, said, “Our reconsideration request was made on the basis that the T-SPOT.TB test has methodological differences to the other IGRA which merit additional reimbursement. I am pleased that CMS reconsidered the national limitation amount for 86481 and has recognized the important methodological differences in our T-SPOT technology.”
¹CDC MMWR 2010:59(No.RR-5):1-25.
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Notes to Editors:
About Oxford Immunotec
Oxford Immunotec Ltd., the T cell measurement company, is headquartered near Oxford, UK; its US operations are based in Marlborough, MA. The company develops and sells clinical diagnostic products based on its patented T-SPOT® technology, the first FDA-approved method for directly quantifying antigen-specific T cells.
T-SPOT technology is a simple and extremely accurate method of studying a person’s cellular immune response to infection and could be applied to diagnose and monitor any major disease driven by a T cell response.
About T-SPOT®.TB test
The T-SPOT.TB test is an in vitro T cell measurement assay used for diagnosing TB disease and latent TB infection and is the first product from Oxford Immunotec using T-SPOT technology. The product offers unrivalled sensitivity with results unaffected by a patient’s immune status. The T-SPOT.TB test is approved for sale in Europe, USA, Canada and over 25 other countries worldwide and is designed to replace the 115 year old tuberculin skin test. It offers a substantially more accurate and effective tool for controlling the spread of TB, addressing a market exceeding $1bn.
T-SPOT and the Oxford Immunotec logo are registered trademarks of Oxford Immunotec Ltd.
CPT is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association
CONTACT:
At Oxford Immunotec:
Dr Peter Wrighton-Smith, CEO
Tel: +44 (0)1235 442780
Fax: +44 (0)1235 442781
Email: [email protected]
KEYWORDS: United Kingdom United States Europe North America Massachusetts
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Stem Cells Health Biotechnology Infectious Diseases
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