Dignitana Launches Survey to Gather Critical Insights on Insurance Coverage and Reimbursement for Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy
Maker of the World’s First FDA-Cleared Therapeutic for Reducing Chemotherapy-Induced Hair Loss Takes the Lead in Advocating for Universal Insurance Coverage of Treatments for Women and Men
Lund, Sweden – 26 April 2018 – Dignitana AB, world leader in clinically superior scalp cooling technology, has initiated a wide-reaching consumer survey to obtain vital information about the state of insurance coverage for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments in the United States. Non-profits and cancer patient advocacy groups such as Hair to Stay and The Rapunzel Project are supporting the effort.
The survey is posted at www.scalpcoolingsurvey.com and is designed to provide a standardized platform to gather data from a broad range of cancer patients including those who have used any scalp cooling system, patients who elected not to use scalp cooling, and those who had not heard of the treatment.
In March of this year, Dignitana began the process of obtaining a Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) Code for FDA-cleared scalp cooling systems used in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced hair loss – a move that is critical to wide adoption of the practice in cancer centers across the U.S., and that if approved, will help make treatments more accessible for chemotherapy patients. The responses to the scalp cooling survey will provide Dignitana access to data during the approval process, which will help inform on scalp cooling costs, awareness, utilization, and current status of insurance coverage and reimbursement.
“Currently, insurance coverage for scalp cooling is sporadic,” said William Cronin, CEO of Dignitana AB. Patients are being reimbursed for all, some, or none of their out-of-pocket scalp cooling costs. We believe that all patients should receive reimbursement for this vital therapy option. As we prepare to meet with the American Medical Association in May to address the need for a unique CPT code, we also want to gather data to support the need for universal coverage of this life changing treatment."
The survey is being conducted by ExperiPro, a Dallas, Texas-based research and insights firm.
“Scalp cooling has proven to be a great option for cancer patients wanting to keep their hair during their chemo treatments. We are excited to do what we can to help expand the availability of these treatments, and helping the advancement towards widespread insurance coverage will do just that,” said David Slatter, ExperiPro’s President. “Gathering information about the patient experience with insurance coverage will help these industry companies present a unified story in the pursuit of universal coverage.”
The short survey asks questions about the patient’s treatment cycle and what, if any, percentage of the cost their insurance covered. Also captured is information about the steps the patient took to achieve reimbursement from their insurance company.
Preliminary insights from the ongoing survey will be announced in June and provided to the American Medical Association.
Investor Relations
Melissa Bourestom
Dignitana
00 1 773 387 8504
investorrelations@dignitana.com
Media Contact
Caren Browning
King + Company
00 1 212 561 7464
About Dignitana AB (publ)
Dignitana is a Swedish public company based in Lund and manufacturer of the medical cooling device DigniCap®. Dignitana AB is listed on Nasdaq First North Stockholm and has appointed Erik Penser Bank as Certified Adviser. Headquartered in Dallas Texas, Dignitana, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Dignitana AB. DigniCap is a patented scalp cooling system that offers cancer patients the ability to minimize hair loss during chemotherapy. FDA cleared since 2015, DigniCap provides continuous cooling with high efficacy, safety and acceptable patient comfort. For more information visit www.dignitana.se and www.dignicap.com.
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