NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Interpace Diagnostics announced today that its Medicare administrative carrier Novitas Solutions has issued a positive coverage decision for the company's ThyraMir microRNA classifier, which is used in conjunction with its ThyGenX oncogene panel to assess fine needle aspiration (FNA) samples from indeterminate thyroid nodules.
According to Interpace, Novitas has deemed ThyraMira to be medically necessary for patients with FNA biopsies of the thyroid that are deemed indeterminate by cytology, and therefore is now available to more than 50 million covered Medicare patients nationwide. ThyGenX, which Interpace acquired from Asuragen in 2014, is already covered by Medicare.
"The combined testing is a novel diagnostic strategy that can improve the preoperative diagnosis and surgical management of patients with indeterminate thyroid nodules," Interpace Interim CEO Jack Stover said in a statement. "This expanded coverage, along with our recently announced collaboration with LabCorp, should contribute to increased volume for our ThyGenX/ThyraMIR tests during 2016."
In January, Interpace announced that LabCorp would begin offering ThyraMir in addition to ThyGenX, which it already offered.