Health Net, Inc. Provides Coverage for Biodesix’ VeriStrat Test
VeriStrat blood-based proteomic test continues to gain coverage across United States for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
Biodesix, Inc. announced today that Health Net, Inc. (NYSE: HNT) is the latest insurer to announce a positive coverage decision for the VeriStrat® test. Health Net published its coverage policy for the VeriStrat proteomic serum test on June 15th, stating the test is medically necessary for patients with, “…advanced NSCLC and wild-type (i.e., no mutation detected) EGFR or with unknown EGFR status.” Health Net’s coverage position on VeriStrat is included in its National Medical Policy for Molecular Tumor Markers for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and can be found on the company’s website.
Health Net, with a membership of 5.9 million lives, joins some of the largest health plans in the country in covering VeriStrat. Biodesix provides VeriStrat test results to physicians within 72 hours, after a simple blood draw. With both prognostic and predictive information about the patient’s cancer, physicians are able to make more clinically-informed treatment decisions while supporting difficult discussions regarding the cancer aggressiveness and prognosis of their patient’s disease.
“Health Net’s decision opens the door for West Coast physicians who want to order VeriStrat for their patients to do so with confidence, now that the test is covered for nearly 6 million more people in that region,” said Biodesix’ CEO, David Brunel. “We are pleased to see another health plan recognize the clinical value of VeriStrat for its beneficiaries.”
Health Net, Inc. beneficiaries are primarily located on the west coast of the United States, with the majority of its members located in California and Oregon. Health Net now joins United Healthcare (NYSE: UNH), Aetna (NYSE: AET), Cigna (NYSE: CI), CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS), Highmark (a BCBS affiliate), Medicare, and other state and regional health plans in covering VeriStrat for their patients.
VeriStrat and Biodesix are registered trademarks of Biodesix, Inc. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.
About Biodesix
Biodesix® is a molecular diagnostics company advancing the development of innovative blood-based tests for precision medicine in oncology. The company currently has two commercialized tests available to clinicians, GeneStrat™ and VeriStrat®. Used for tumor profiling, GeneStrat is an a la carte gene panel of clinically actionable mutations. VeriStrat, a serum proteomic test, provides physicians with prognostic and predictive information to improve treatment decisions. Biodesix discovers, develops and commercializes diagnostic tests for earlier disease detection, more accurate diagnosis, disease monitoring and better therapeutic guidance, leading to improved patient outcomes. In addition to developing novel diagnostics independently, the company partners with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to develop companion diagnostics to improve the utility of therapeutic agents.
For more information about Biodesix, please visit www.Biodesix.com.
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