The American Medical Association (“AMA”) Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) Editorial Panel has issued its Summary of Panel Actions confirming the establishment of two new Category I CPT reimbursement codes for Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (“ESD”) procedures – one for the upper gastrointestinal (“GI”) tract and a second for the lower GI tract.

The establishment of dedicated CPT codes provides a clear reimbursement framework for U.S. healthcare providers to offer this advanced, organ-preserving procedure to a broader patient population. ESD is a precision technique used to remove early-stage cancerous and pre-cancerous lesions from the GI tract via an endoscope, eliminating the need for open surgery or segmental organ removal. It allows for more accurate pathology and has been associated with lower recurrence rates, faster recovery, and fewer complications.

Creo Medical collaborated with a consortium of medical societies, key opinion leaders and industry partners to gather peer-reviewed clinical data illustrating improved clinical outcomes, and procedural data highlighting the growing adoption of GI ESD procedures in the clinical community. This collaborative effort demonstrated the safety, efficacy, and long-term benefits of ESD, reinforcing its value in delivering better patient outcomes and supporting its recognition through formal CPT coding.

It is estimated that around 5% of the U.S. population over the age of 50 could potentially benefit from an ESD procedure. The data suggest that indications potentially suitable for ESD treatment are diagnosed in between 5% and 10% of the annual c.16 million U.S. colonoscopies performed. The establishment of re-imbursement for lower GI ESD will open up access to this procedure to a much larger proportion of these US patients with the clinical benefits demonstrated.

The establishment of these reimbursement codes will also help drive continued medical innovation by enabling and encouraging the use of next-generation products such as Creo’s Speedboat® UltraSlim, and Speedboat® Notch designed specifically for ESD. All Creo’s products are designed to empower clinicians with greater precision, safety, and procedural efficiency for complex endoscopic interventions.

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