New cardiac imaging FFRct gets high rating from BCBS

HeartFlow, a cardiac technology company in Redwood City, California, has received positive reviews on its HeartFlow FFRct, a non-invasive technology that uses coronary CT angiograms to make personalized 3D models of a patient’s arteries, from the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Association.

The BCBS Association issued a positive healthcare evidence review of the technology, HeartFlow announced in a June 12 press release. The FFRct is the first to provide information into the extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) and the impact it has on blood flow to the heart.

BCBS’s review assessed the technology’s technical performance, diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility, and determined that it improves outcomes for patients with stable chest pain who are at a risk of developing CAD and are being considered for invasive coronary angiography.

“This marks a major milestone achievement for HeartFlow and our FFRct technology because BCBS’s Evidence Street is among the world’s most rigorous health technology assessments and has significant global reach and influence,” said HeartFlow CEO John H. Stevens, MD, in a statement. “With BCBS insuring one in three Americans, substantially more patients with suspected CAD in the United States who are part of BCBS plans will be able to access this innovative non-invasive technology. HeartFlow FFRct also could now more rapidly become the standard of care, potentially improving clinical outcomes and saving global healthcare systems billions of dollars annually.”