Nano-X Imaging Ltd. announced that the American Medical Association has issued a new Category III Current Procedural Terminology code for quantitative CT tissue characterization, enabling potentially broader use of Nanox.AI's HealthCCSng, an FDA-cleared AI-enabled cardiac imaging solution that detects coronary artery calcium, for patients in the U.S. The code will become effective on July 1, 2022. CAC is a recognized vital biomarker for detection of cardiovascular disease. Nanox.AI believes that early detection and subsequent treatment of cardiovascular disease has the potential to significantly decrease the morbidity and mortality of this highly prevalent condition.

HealthCCSng can be incorporated into existing radiologist workflows, helping to identify and quantify CAC levels in their patients and stratify those patients based on their risk of cardiovascular disease and potential need for cardiac work up and treatment. Chest CT scans are a common imaging modality used in cardiovascular medicine. However, assessing CAC levels in chest CT scans can be a cumbersome, time-consuming manual task.

HealthCCSng analyzes commonly ordered non-gated CT scans, which enables the quantification of CAC as an incidental finding. It automatically categorizes CT-scanned patients into three risk categories, based on the extent of cardiac calcium detected. The new CPT III code issued by the AMA will allow U.S. radiologists, clinics and health systems to utilize this code for the company's HealthCCSng when performing chest CT scans.

This will enable radiologists to efficiently identify many undetected patients who are at risk for cardiovascular disease. Prior to its merger with Nanox, Nanox.AI announced the first-ever AMA approval of a CPT code for utilizing AI in radiology, specifically for the detection of vertebral compression fractures (VCF), an early sign of osteoporosis, as an incidental finding in chest CT scans. Nanox.AI's VCF solution is the only FDA-cleared VCF product for AI in medical imaging.