Cytomedix Announces Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Issuance Of Reimbursement Coding for Autologous PRP …

Posted: Published on March 18th, 2013

This post was added by Dr. Richardson

GAITHERSBURG, MD--(Marketwire - Mar 18, 2013) - Cytomedix, Inc. ( OTCQX : CMXI ) (the "Company"), a regenerative therapies company commercializing and developing innovative platelet and adult stem cell technologies, announced today that the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued reimbursement coding and claims payment instructions to its regional contractors for the use of autologous PRP in chronic non-healing wounds.The assignment of a Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code establishes the reimbursement mechanism for physicians and other providers submitting claims for services provided to Medicare beneficiaries. A new HCPCS code, G-0460, has been assigned for:

"Autologous platelet rich plasma for chronic wounds/ulcers, including phlebotomy, centrifugation, and all other preparatory procedures, administration and dressings, per treatment."

Martin Rosendale, Chief Executive Officer of Cytomedix, commented, "The assignment of a HCPCS code for the use of AutoloGel is another critical element to the near term clinical treatment of chronic non-healing wounds with commercial reimbursement.We recently received protocol approval under the Coverage with Evidence Development (CED) program, and detailed coding and payment instructions have now been issued to CMS' regional contractors and fiscal intermediaries.Our interaction with CMS continues to be productive and appropriately collaborative.We are enthusiastic that Medicare beneficiaries will soon be treated with AutoloGel and look forward to this opportunity to improve the health outcomes of patients dealing with non-healing chronic wounds."

The assigned "G" code is a temporary code that will be used for the coverage of both the service and product initially.In addition to the "G" code, all Medicare claims submissions for treatments using the AutoloGel System will include an identification number that is specific for AutoloGel and the appropriate protocol. Medicare contractors have been instructed to pay claims in the following care settings: hospital outpatient departments, skilled nursing facilities, rural health clinics, comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facilities, federally qualified health centers, and critical access hospitals.Claims processing will begin with an implementation date of July 1, 2013 for claims with dates of service after August 2, 2012.

About The AutoloGel SystemThe AutoloGel System utilizes a proprietary unique technology that enables the rapid isolation and activation of PRP from a patient's own blood. The PRP is subsequently processed to produce a bioactive gel for application to the wound bed, re-establishing a balance needed for natural healing to occur. In normal healing, platelets migrate from the blood into the wound site where they serve as the primary source of growth factors for effective wound healing. In chronic wounds, blood supply may be impaired and the delivery of platelets is impeded, disallowing adequate concentrations of growth factors.

The AutoloGel System is used at the point-of-care and is the only PRP system cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for useonexuding wounds, such as leg ulcers, pressure ulcers and diabetic ulcers, and for the management of mechanically or surgically-debrided wounds. Cytomedix's clinical studies have shown that AutoloGel rapidly and more effectively improved healing compared with control-treated wounds. This has been demonstrated in a variety of clinical studies including a systematic review of 21 comparison studies and a number of other observational and case series publications as well.

About Cytomedix, Inc. Cytomedix, Inc. is an autologous regenerative therapies company commercializing innovative platelet technologies for orthopedics and wound care with a pipeline of adult stem cell therapies for tissue repair. The Company markets the AutoloGel System, a device for the production of autologous platelet rich plasma ("PRP") gel for use on a variety of exuding wounds and the Angel Concentrated Platelet Rich Plasma System, a blood processing device and disposable products used for the separation of whole blood or a mixture of blood and bone marrow, into red cells, platelet poor plasma ("PPP") and PRP in surgical settingsOn February 8, 2012 Cytomedix closed the acquisition of Aldagen, a biopharmaceutical company developing regenerative cell therapies based on its proprietary ALDH bright cell technology, currently in a Phase 2 trial for the treatment of ischemic stroke. For additional information please visit cytomedix.com.

Safe Harbor StatementStatements contained in this press release not relating to historical facts are forward-looking statements that are intended to fall within the safe harbor rule for such statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The information contained in the forward-looking statements is inherently uncertain, and Cytomedix' actual results may differ materially due to a number of factors, many of which are beyond Cytomedix' ability to predict or control, including among many others, risks and uncertainties related to the Company's ability to successfully commercialize the AutoloGel technology in the time frame and manner currently anticipated, to successfully manage contemplated clinical trials, to manage and address the capital needs, human resource, management, compliance and other challenges of a larger, more complex and integrated business enterprise, viability and effectiveness of the Company's sales approach and overall marketing strategies, commercial success or acceptance by the medical community, competitive responses, the Company's ability to raise additional capital and to continue as a going concern, and Cytomedix's ability to execute on its strategy to market the AutoloGel System as contemplated. To the extent that any statements made here are not historical, these statements are essentially forward-looking. The Company uses words and phrases such as "believes", "forecasted," "projects," "is expected," "remain confident," "will" and/or similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements in this press release. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events to differ from the forward-looking statements. More information about some of these risks and uncertainties may be found in the reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Cytomedix, Inc. Cytomedix operates in a highly competitive and rapidly changing business and regulatory environment, thus new or unforeseen risks may arise. Accordingly, investors should not place any reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Except as is expressly required by the federal securities laws, Cytomedix undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, changed circumstances or future events or for any other reason. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including our Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2011 and other subsequent filings. These filings are available at http://www.sec.gov.

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Cytomedix Announces Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Issuance Of Reimbursement Coding for Autologous PRP ...

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