The decision, issued by Medicare Administrative Contractor Palmetto GBA, is effective Dec. 10 and provides coverage of the test for about 25,000 Medicare patients.
The move will gain PFM a Houston lab, as well as ApoCell's proprietary ApoStream liquid biopsy technology for isolation and capture of circulating tumor cells.
New data has shown that the firm's platform could help stratify patients for treatment with antibody-drug conjugates by finding those whose CTCs express enough of the target.
Investigators are studying samples from a group of 100 patients to try to lock down patterns in circulating tumor DNA that can be used to validate monitoring methods for the clinic.
The partners aim to optimize DNA nanoball technology, accelerate the use of CTC technology, and work on a diagnostic tool for use at the point of care.
Consulting company McKinsey says diagnostics companies will have to combine genomic data analysis, electronic medical records, effective reimbursement strategies, and regulatory compliance in order to win.
A new report has found that researchers in Africa are still heavily dependent on funding from organizations in the US, Europe, and China, Nature News says.
