Bloomington, Ind. – Cook Medical today announced that the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has granted a new technology add-on payment (NTAP) for Hemospray® Endoscopic Hemostat. Effective on October 1, 2020, the designation will provide eligible hospitals with incremental reimbursement for Hemospray for up to three years.
Cook Medical’s Hemospray product
The NTAP designation may reduce financial barriers to physician and patient access to Hemospray, giving physicians more options to treat patients on Medicare. Eligible hospitals can now use Hemospray and qualify to receive a supplemental payment from NTAP of up to $1,625 in addition to the standard Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Group (MS-DRG) payment for Medicare patients.
Cook Medical’s Hemospray product is an endoscopic hemostat, meaning that it helps stop bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. Bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract is a leading cause of death and is associated with an estimated 20,000 deaths per year in the United States alone.1 This product is a single-use device that sprays an inorganic powder toward the source of a bleed. When the powder comes in contact with blood, it absorbs water and forms a gel. The gel creates a stable barrier that covers the bleeding site.
“A CMS recognition is an important milestone for clinicians and their patients. It also supports the ever-expanding data that Hemospray can offer a substantial clinical improvement for the treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding,” said Barry Slowey, vice president of Cook Medical’s Endoscopy specialty. “We will continue to bring innovative technologies like Hemospray to clinicians and their patients here in the U.S and around the globe.”
Because of its innovation, Hemospray was selected as the 2019 Healio Disruptive Innovators Award in the Industry Breakthrough category. Hemospray is a unique product for two reasons. First, it can help stop bleeding without any heat or mechanical pressure—both of which can cause further damage to surrounding tissue.2 Second, Hemospray can be sprayed over a large area. While Hemospray works best when sprayed directly on the bleeding site, it can also target large areas when the source of the bleed is unclear.In a metanalysis of 20 studies with 1,280 patients, Hemospray was 91% successful at stopping bleeding, compared to 87% with other hemostatic treatments. 3
For more information about Hemospray and other endoscopy products, visit cookmedical.com/endoscopy.
About Cook Medical
Since 1963, Cook Medical has been inventing, manufacturing and delivering a unique portfolio of medical devices to healthcare systems around the world. We work closely with physicians to develop technologies that improve patients’ lives. Because we remain family owned, we have the freedom to focus on what we care about: patients, our employees and our communities. Find out more at CookMedical.com, and for the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
1. El-Tawil AM. Trends on gastrointestinal bleeding and mortality: where are we standing? World J Gastroenterol. 2012;18(11):1154–1158.
2. Ben-Menachem T, Decker GA, Early DS, et al. Adverse events of upper GI endoscopy. Gastrointest Endosc. 2012;76(4):707–718.
3. Muhammad A., Weissman S, Mehta TI, et al. Efficacy of Hemospray in non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Ann Gastroenterol. 2020:33(2);145–154.