InterCure gets OK from California Blue Shield

InterCure (Fort Lee, New Jersey) reported the California Technology Assessment Forum (CTAF), a program of the Blue Shield of California Foundation (San Francisco), agreed at its recent meeting that device-guided breathing with RESPeRATE is a safe and effective medical approach to treat hypertension.

RESPeRATE is "the first and only medical device clinically proven to lower blood pressure through guided breathing therapy," and it met all five of CTAF's assessment criteria for new medical technologies, the company said. The decision was based on a review of seven clinical studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals.

The CTAF said that daily use of RESPeRATE as an adjunctive treatment for patients with persistently high blood pressure meets CTAF Technology Assessment Criteria for safety, effectiveness and improvement in health outcomes.

The CTAF member panel includes clinical experts from several major disciplines including ethics, outcomes research, consumer advocacy, practicing clinicians and technology assessment experts. CTAF's assessment criteria are similar to the assessment criteria used by other Blue Cross Blue Shield technology assessment groups throughout the country in evaluating new medical technologies for approval.

RESPeRATE is FDA-cleared for over-the-counter sale, the company said.