Inspire Medical Systems Announces First BCBS Coverage Policy following Evidence Street’s Positive Therapy Indication Summary

Inspire Medical Systems (NYSE:INSP) a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative and minimally invasive solutions for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (“OSA”), announced today that Blue Cross of Idaho has issued a positive coverage policy of Inspire therapy.

As quoted in the press release:

This is the first coverage policy issued following BCBS Evidence Street’s January 7, 2019 report, which stated there is sufficient evidence to determine that Inspire therapy results in a meaningful improvement in net health outcomes for patients meeting specified criteria.

Blue Cross of Idaho, the state of Idaho’s leading health insurer, is a not-for-profit mutual insurance company covering approximately 500,000 members.  Blue Cross of Idaho is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA). The Blue Cross of Idaho policy is effective March 20, 2019. This policy has a few changes from the Evidence Street summary including a BMI of less than 32. This Blue Cross of Idaho is the first policy to include coverage for adolescents who have Down’s syndrome. It is important to note that this indication is not yet approved by the FDA.

In addition to Blue Cross of Idaho, an additional positive coverage policy became effective January 1, 2019 with Ascension Smart Health. These positive coverage decisions are a result of the large and growing body of clinical evidence supporting the use of Inspire therapy for the treatment of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.

Click here to read the full press release.