Thursday November 19, 12:19 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: VidaMed, Inc.
VidaMed Receives Medicare Approval in Florida for Reimbursement of
TUNA(R)
Procedure
2.2 Million Men Over Age 50 and 600 Urologists in State
FREMONT, Calif., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- VidaMed, Inc. (Nasdaq: VIDA
- news), today announced that the Medical Director
responsible for Florida, the second largest Medicare populated state,
has approved Medicare reimbursement for its TUNA (Trans
Urethral Needle Ablation) Procedure, a minimally invasive treatment
for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). Reimbursement will be
effective for TUNA Procedures performed in Florida on or after
January 1, 1999. The Company stated that 600 urologists in the state
and more than 2.2 million men over the age of 50, of which more than
60% are of Medicare age, now have access to the many benefits
of the TUNA Procedure.
''Having achieved state-level reimbursement under the Medicare system
in Florida is a major milestone for VidaMed's TUNA
Procedure,'' said Randy Lindholm, VidaMed's Executive Vice President
of Worldwide Sales and Marketing. ''In anticipation of this
approval, and in order to meet the expected demand for the TUNA
System, we have already increased our direct sales support team and
stepped up our marketing efforts in Florida.''
VidaMed President and Chief Executive Officer David Illingworth said,
''State Medicare review committees approve reimbursement
based on several important factors, including safety, efficacy,
cost-effectiveness and durability of treatment. To have achieved
Medicare
reimbursement approval in such an important state as Florida is
another strong endorsement of the TUNA Procedure.''
VidaMed designs, develops, manufactures and markets technologically
and clinically advanced cost-effective systems for the treatment
of urological conditions. Founded in 1992, VidaMed is headquartered
in the Silicon Valley in Fremont, California.
Certain statements in this news release, including statements
relating demand for, acceptance and awareness of the TUNA Procedure,
contain forward- looking information. Actual results may vary
significantly from those anticipated in such forward-looking
statements
due to risks and uncertainties, including the rate of adoption of the
Procedure by the medical community, the impact of competitive
treatments, products and pricing, the development and effectiveness
of the Company's sales organization and marketing efforts, and
other risks, including those set forth in the Company's Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on August 14, 1998. The Company's actual results may
differ significantly from the results anticipated by the
forward-looking statements as a result of these and other factors.
For additional patient information and VidaMed's physician referral
service please call 800-328-8781. For Investor information on
VidaMed, Inc. at no cost, please call 888-301-2498 or order it from
VidaMed's website at www.vidamed.com.
SOURCE: VidaMed, Inc. |
