Bronchial Thermoplasty Awarded Category I CPT® Procedure Codes The American Medical Association (AMA) Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®1) Editorial Panel has assigned Category I CPT codes specifically for...

NATICK, Mass. , Sept. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Medical Association (AMA) Current Procedural Terminology (CPT ® 1 ) Editorial Panel has assigned Category I CPT codes specifically for bronchial thermoplasty in its recently published CPT 2013 Professional Edition. Beginning January 1, 2013 , physicians and hospitals will be able to seek reimbursement through two new codes to describe the bronchial thermoplasty procedure. Category I CPT procedure codes are recognized by all public and private health insurance payers in the United States.

According to the AMA, criteria for a procedure to be awarded Category I CPT codes include:

The Alair ® Bronchial Thermoplasty System is an FDA-approved device used in a bronchoscopic procedure performed under moderate sedation. The Alair System delivers thermal energy to the airway wall in a precisely controlled manner to reduce excessive airway smooth muscle. It is designed to decrease the ability of the airway to constrict, thereby reducing asthma attack frequency and severity for patients whose asthma is not well controlled with inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-agonists. Clinical trial results, which have been published in multiple peer-reviewed articles, demonstrate safety out to five years and persistence of clinical benefit out to at least two years.

About Asthma Asthma is one of the most common and costly diseases in the world. The prevalence of asthma has grown in recent decades, and there is no cure. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, more than 20 million Americans have asthma. Managing asthma consumes more than $18 billion of healthcare resources each year in the U.S. Uncontrolled asthma results in approximately 10 million unscheduled physician office visits, 2 million emergency rooms visits, 500,000 hospitalizations, and 4,000 deaths annually in the United States. Approximately five percent of Americans suffering from asthma are diagnosed with severe persistent asthma.

About Boston Scientific Boston Scientific is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices that are used in a broad range of interventional medical specialties. For more information, please visit: www.bostonscientific.com .

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2 American Medical Association. CPT® Process - How a Code Becomes a Code. http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/solutions-managing-your-practice/coding-billing-insurance/cpt/cpt-process-faq/code-becomes-cpt.page .

SOURCE Boston Scientific Corporation