Oversonic Robotics Srl believes that its humanoid robot Robee could transform health care in Europe as it helps address the challenges of an ageing population, rising chronic conditions and the shortage of health care workers. Robee has already received CE mark certification as a class I medical device, and plans are underway to achieve class II certification next year as the company looks to make a significant social impact with its humanoid robot.

Skin substitutes take a hit in Medicare doc fee final for CY 2026

The U.S. CMS has adopted an incident-to payment policy for skin substitutes for the Medicare physician fee schedule for calendar year 2026 as part of an effort to clamp down on rampant spending increases. The agency will pay slightly more than $127 per square centimeter of skin substitute product next year, however, a payment level that seems to have mollified at least one major player in the skin substitute game, Marietta, Ga.-based Mimedx Group Inc.

Cutting balloons match lithotripsy for clearance of calcification 

Results of the Shortcut study, presented last week at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics meeting in San Francisco, indicated that cutting balloon angioplasty matched intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) in coronary artery preparation of calcification for stent placement. The study was sponsored by Rehovot, Israel-based Pi-Cardia Ltd., and the pivotal study was designed to assess the safety and effectiveness of the company’s Shortcut device. The Shortcut is designed to split the leaflets of a pre-existing valve to enable safe transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients at risk for coronary obstruction. While the results of the Shortcut study might save hospitals a significant amount of money, this assumes that the U.S. CMS would adjust payments for at least one of these two services. At present, IVL enjoys carve-outs under the Medicare severity-adjusted diagnostic-related group (MS-DRG) system, specifically MS-DRGs 246, 247 and 248. In contrast, cutting balloons are reimbursed as part of the total payment package for percutaneous coronary interventions under existing CPT codes, such as CPT 92920 for the inpatient prospective payment system. 

OIG sees continuing problems with DME payments

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) said in a new report that the U.S. Medicare program had overpaid a group of providers of durable medical equipment (DME) by nearly $23 million between 2018 and 2024, an amount that is a significant drop from prior years, but which OIG said calls for further reforms for the Medicare DME program. 

Also in the news

Capsovision, Cardinal Health, Co-Diagnostics, Elevaris Medical Devices, Endoquest, Femasys, Icecure, Intervene, LISI Group, Merit Medical, Nvidia, Philips, Popai Health, Precera Medical, Quidelortho, Sanuwave Health, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Biomedical Robot, SK Capital, Solaris Health, Wandercraft