February 10, 2014 — Aetna issued a positive coverage policy for long-term continuous monitoring of patients with suspected heart arrhythmias, which includes use of the iRhythm Technologies’ ZIO Service. The new policy now makes iRhythm’s solution – comprised of the ZIO Patch, proprietary algorithms and the ZIO report – available as a potential covered service for the insurer’s medical members.
Each year, millions of patients present with infrequent and non-specific symptoms such as heart palpitations, dizziness and shortness of breath, which may or may not be caused by cardiac arrhythmias. Physicians typically seek to identify which patients have an arrhythmia to enable timely, efficient treatment that can help avoid potentially serious complications and unnecessary medical visits. Effective management of cardiac arrhythmias is specific to the type of arrhythmia identified.
Multiple, peer-reviewed published studies have demonstrated the ZIO Service’s ability to produce a high diagnostic yield and change patient management, compared to traditional approaches to ambulatory electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring.
The ZIO Patch is a noninvasive, water-resistant monitor that is easy to use and discrete to wear, and is worn for up to 14 days, prompting high patient compliance. Proprietary algorithms analyze the vast amounts of captured heart beat data and a report is provided to the patient’s physician. A recent study by Scripps Translational Science Institute, published in the American Journal of Medicine, found that the ZIO Service detected 57 perecent more arrhythmia events compared to use of the Holter monitor, primarily due to prolonged monitoring. Since its commercial launch in 2011, the ZIO Service has been used with more than 200,000 patients at nearly 800 institutions nationwide. The ZIO Service is covered for most Medicare patients and by leading private payers nationwide, representing more than 170 million covered lives.
For more information: www.irhythmtech.com
May 10, 2024 
