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Pulmonx Announces Additional 16 Million Covered Lives for The Zephyr® Valve, a Minimally Invasive Treatment Option for Severe Emphysema (COPD)
Positive Coverage Policy from Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) Covers Blue Cross Blue Shield Members in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and
About this update from Pulmonx Corporation
[{"type":"text","content":"Positive Coverage Policy from Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) Covers Blue Cross Blue Shield Members in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas\nREDWOOD CITY, Calif., Nov. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pulmonx Corporation (NASDAQ: LUNG) today announced that Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) has issued a positive coverage policy for the Zephyr® Endobronchial Valve (Zephyr Valve) for the treatment of severe emphysema, a form of COPD. HCSC operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, and is the fifth largest health insurance company in the U.S. The Zephyr Valve has been shown to deliver significant benefits to patients with emphysema, including improvements in lung function, exercise capacity and quality of life, without the risk of major surgery.1\n HCSC, the largest customer-owned health insurer in the U.S. and fifth largest overall, covers over 16 million lives. The effective date of the policy covering the Zephyr Valves is November 1, 2020. “We commend HCSC for making this positive coverage decision, providing its members with severe emphysema access to a minimally invasive option to breathe easier and have a better quality of life,” stated Glen French, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pulmonx. “As a pulmonologist in Illinois I am very excited to see the Zephyr Valve covered by these Blue Cross Blue Shield plans. Despite taking the best available medications, many COPD patients struggle to breathe and until the valves became available, the other options were invasive surgeries with high risks,” noted Dr. D. Kyle Hogarth, Professor of Medicine and Director of Bronchoscopy at the University of Chicago. “Having this minimally invasive option covered by the largest insurer in the state means we can help more patients breathe easier once medications no longer control their disease well.” More on the Zephyr ValveThe Zephyr Valve is a minimally invasive treatment option for severe emphysema, a form of COPD. Placed via bronchoscopy, the valves block off a diseased portion of the lung, allowing the healthier lung tissue to expand and take in more air. This results in patients being able to breathe easier, be less short of breathe, and have an improvement in quality of life.1 More than 20,000 patients have been treated with the Zephyr Valve worldwide and the t...