Itamar Medical Announces Additional 16 Million Covered Lives for WatchPAT, the Only Single-Use Sleep Apnea Test that Meets Guidelines

Positive Coverage Policy from Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) Covers Blue Cross Blue Shield Members in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas

CAESAREA, Israel, Dec. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Itamar Medical Ltd. (NASDAQ and TASE: ITMR), a leading medical device and digital health company focused on the integration of sleep apnea management into the cardiac patient care pathway, today announced that Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), the largest customer-owned health insurance company in the U.S., has issued a positive coverage decision that includes Home Sleep Apnea tests (HSATs) utilizing Peripheral Arterial Tonometry (PAT) such as the company’s WatchPAT as medically necessary.

The updated policy decision from HCSC adds approximately 14.5 million beneficiaries of five Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCSC) plans of Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Montana. The added benefit becomes effective on March 25, 2021. In November 2020 BCBS of Louisiana, covering 1.5 million lives, also published updated medical policy including PAT based HSATs.

WatchPAT, based on the PAT technology, oximetry and actigraphy, is used for diagnosing Sleep Apnea in the home environment. Itamar Medical’s WatchPAT ONE is the only FDA-approved single-use HSAT that meets Practice Guidelines currently available on the market. This updated policy decision follows an assessment of Diagnosis and Medical Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome released by Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Evidence Street in July 2019.

“We commend HCSC for making this positive coverage decision that paves the way for PAT based HSATs to be considered when diagnosing adult patients who have symptoms suggestive of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Importantly, our WatchPAT ONE device, combined with the Company’s digital health platform, provides the opportunity for physicians to continue to diagnose HCSC beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic, while at the same time, reducing their patient’s exposure to risk of infection,” said Gilad Glick, President and Chief Executive Officer of Itamar Medical. “As the only single-use test available on the market that meets Practice Guidelines, we are delighted that more physicians and their patients will have a safe and effective home-based diagnostic option.”