The Pricing, Data, Analysis, and Coding (PDAC) contractor for the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services has verified Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System E0486 for Airway Management’s flexTAP lab-made oral appliance.
The PDAC code enables coverage with most medical insurers and expands consumer access to flexTAP, designed to treat mild to moderate sleep apnea.
flexTAP features Airway Management’s Vertex Technology, which allows the mouth to open vertically and horizontally simultaneously during advancement of the jaw. The device also is equipped with a self-adjuster, made without metal parts, and comes standard with a nasal breathing component, the flexTAP Mouth Shield, to improve comfort and treatment outcomes.
Since 2007, PDAC has reviewed and listed all custom TAP appliances for Medicare reimbursement. TAP differentiates itself from the devices listed under the E0486 code (Herbst and Dorsal) with its patented, mid-line technology, “making it the ideal device for sleep clinicians looking to expand their sleep therapy options,” according to a press release by Airway Management.
Airway Management authorizes partner laboratories to manufacture the devices as defined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as “contract manufacturer.” This relationship is treated the same with PDAC and credits Airway Management as the manufacturer to hold FDA 510k and PDAC approvals, with contract manufacturers subsequently covered under the Airway Management regulatory umbrella.