Medtech


March 10, 2026

GKOS: Less Sanguine on iDose Coverage Questions

By John Leppard

Despite recent speculation that Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) may not pursue a formal coverage policy for GKOS iDose procedures, we continue to expect a draft local coverage determination (LCD) in Q2 / Q3. Following the…

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March 6, 2026

[INSP, LIVN, NYXH] New Hypoglossal Code By 2028

By John Leppard

As we had anticipated, the American Medical Association’s (AMA) CPT Editorial Panel will evaluate the creation of a new reimbursement code to describe single lead hypoglossal nerve neurostimulation (HGNS) devices (e.g., INSP’s Inspire V) at…

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February 26, 2026

INSP: Quick Thoughts on New Codes

By John Leppard

We see little practical reimbursement impact for INSP from CMS’s announcement this morning that it will be creating a set of new facility level C-codes for newer generation hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HGNS) device services (e.g.,…

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February 25, 2026

[EW, MDT, ABT] TAVR: Incremental Gains From Expected Coverage

By John Leppard

In advance of the CMS draft coverage decision for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) due June 15 (final Sept. 15), we expect policy changes that – while positive – may be more incremental in their…

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February 12, 2026

Inspire Medical (INSP): Post-Call Questions Answered

By John Leppard

With INSP confirming our suspicion last night that MACs will ultimately require Inspire V procedures to be billed under CPT 64582 with a -52 (reduced work) modifier, we would expect this to translate into a…

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February 4, 2026

CareDx (CDNA): Coverage Risks Coming?

By John Leppard

We view CareDx (CDNA) as having potentially asymmetric downside risk going into the final MolDx local coverage determination (LCD) on organ transplant rejection, which we would expect to be released in the next 1-2 months…

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January 22, 2026

INSP: CMS Update Makes Pricing / Volumes a Bigger Lift

By John Leppard

CMS’s update this morning – indicating that CPT 64568 is not covered for obstructive sleep apnea under any national coverage determination (NCD) – is in keeping with the view we articulated just two weeks ago,…

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January 20, 2026

Tools, Dx, & Labs: Lawmakers Come Through

By John Leppard

The bipartisan, bicameral FY26 HHS appropriations bill text released this morning is largely consistent with our expectations, with incremental upside for life science tools (LST), diagnostics, and clinical labs. More specifically, the legislation – which…

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January 9, 2026

Conference Policy Prep Pack: Medtech & Biopharma

By John Leppard

With medtech and biopharma companies set to descend on San Francisco next week, below we provide a set of significant policy-related questions for clients to ask management, the answers to which will inform company growth…

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January 8, 2026

INSP: MAC Feedback Points to Lower Doc & Facility Rates

By John Leppard

Following repeated outreach to Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) public inquiry mailboxes, feedback from WPS – responsible for ~13% of INSP services – bolsters our view that the company is unlikely to be able to take…

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