SI-Bone’s iFuse has now been used in over 20,000 procedures worldwide by more than 1,100 surgeons since its initial launch in early 2009.
According to a company release, iFuse procedure growth has been driven most recently by the extensive body of clinical evidence published over the past several years that has helped influence payors such as Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Geisinger, Kaiser Permanente and United Healthcare to cover minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion.
There are currently 40 iFuse peer-reviewed publications including two randomised controlled trials, long-term results from a large, multicentre prospective study, numerous single centre and multicentre studies—including several with up to four- and five-year follow-up—as well as several economic studies showing iFuse as cost-effective and cost-saving.
In addition to US demand, interest outside of the USA continues to grow, according to a company release. iFuse was recently launched in Australia during the Spine Society of Australia meeting in Melbourne, and the first iFuse procedure in Australia was performed on May 3rd 2016 by Neil Cleaver of Gold Coast Spine in Gold Coast, New South Wales. Previously, Cleaver had used sacroiliac joint screws manufactured by a large international orthopaedic company.
Earlier this year, the first iFuse procedures were performed in Israel, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and iFuse is now available in 25 countries including 21 in Europe and the Middle East.
In addition to increased demand by surgeons, payers are responding to clinical evidence supporting sacroiliac joint fusion surgery, and insurance coverage for these procedures is gaining momentum in the USA. Forty-nine out of 50 states now have Medicare coverage, and commercial plans such as Blue Cross of Michigan are covering minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion surgery.
