Cardiovascular software developer HeartFlow said the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized a new technology ambulatory payment classification (APC) code for its software that analyzes CT images to calculate fractional flow reserve (FFR-CT).
Under the APC payment system, the reimbursement rate for the technical component of HeartFlow FFR-CT Analysis will be $1,450.50, according to the vendor. The rate will take effect on January 1, 2018.
The CMS decision follows on the heels of the American Medical Association's issuance of a set of category III current procedural terminology (CPT) codes for HeartFlow FFR-CT Analysis. These CPT codes, which also take effect on January 1, can be used to generate claims when the study is ordered for patients with suspected coronary artery disease, HeartFlow said.
![Images show the pectoralis muscles of a healthy male individual who never smoked (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; body mass index [BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared], 28.4; number of cigarette pack-years, 0; forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1], 97.6% predicted; FEV1: forced vital capacity [FVC] ratio, 0.71; pectoralis muscle area [PMA], 59.4 cm2; pectoralis muscle volume [PMV], 764 cm3) and a male individual with a smoking history and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; BMI, 27.5; number of cigarette pack-years, 43.2, FEV1, 48% predicted; FEV1:FVC, 0.56; PMA, 35 cm2; PMV, 480.8 cm3) from the Canadian Cohort Obstructive Lung Disease (i.e., CanCOLD) study. The CT image is shown in the axial plane. The PMV is automatically extracted using the developed deep learning model and overlayed onto the lungs for visual clarity.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/03/genkin.25LqljVF0y.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=focalpoint&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
