Top Commercial Payer in Michigan Significantly Expands Patient Access to Centinel Spine's prodisc® L for One- and Two-level Lumbar Total Disc Replacement

• The largest commercial payer in Michigan, representing 5.8 million covered lives, has established positive coverage effective September 1 2023 for both one- and two-level lumbar total disc replacement (LTDR) procedures, which includes prodisc^® L.
• The majority of commercial payers recently adopted positive LTDR coverage policies, and the almost 6M additional Michigan lives increase the total one-level LTDR coverage to greater than 160M out of an estimated 170 million commercially-covered lives in the U.S.
• Centinel Spine's prodisc L is the only LTDR system in the U.S. approved for one- and two-level use in the lumbar spine.

WEST CHESTER, Pa., July 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Centinel Spine^®, LLC, ("the Company") a leading global medical device company addressing cervical and lumbar spinal disease by providing the most complete and clinically-proven total disc replacement (TDR) technology platform in the world (prodisc^®), today announced significant expansion of coverage for lumbar TDR procedures in Michigan. The policy expansion announced by Michigan's largest commercial payer—effective September 1, 2023— represents over 5.8 million covered lives across the state and includes a positive coverage recommendation for both one- and two-level lumbar TDR. This major positive coverage update continues the trend for one-level lumbar TDR over the last several years, moving the number of covered lives from under 50% in 2017 to now approaching universal coverage for commercial payers.

The expanded coverage policy specifically references Centinel Spine's prodisc^® L system, the only TDR system in the U.S. approved for one- and two-level use in the lumbar spine. Additional policy addenda outline coverage for the L3-L4 lumbar level; prodisc L remains the only TDR system in the U.S. approved for use at the L3-L4 level. The commercial payer, the largest operating payer in Michigan, previously had no coverage policy for either one- or two-level lumbar TDR. The new positive coverage policy opens access to patients suffering from symptomatic degenerative disc disease (DDD) who can benefit from lumbar TDR using prodisc L for both one- and two-level lumbar TDR.

According to John F. Keller, MD, Neurosurgeon, Great Lakes Neurosurgical Associates, "This most recent announcement expands disc replacement coverage benefits to over half of the patients we see in my practice, providing them with access to a motion-sparing alternative to fusion in the lumbar spine. We appreciate that more and more commercial payers now recognize and value the extensive existing clinical evidence and ongoing long-term outcome publications that demonstrate that one- and two-level lumbar total disc arthroplasty is a safe and effective procedure. I anticipate this coverage expansion may lead many of my patients that have been avoiding fusion to reconsider their surgical options to obtain a higher quality of life."

Centinel Spine CEO Steve Murray shared, "This reversal from non-coverage to coverage by such a large commercial payer continues a trend in positive coverage decisions for prodisc L over the last several years. This is a major positive coverage change that more than doubles the number of covered lives in Michigan and brings total one-level lumbar TDR coverage in the U.S. to almost 95%. We have seen an immediate response by surgeons and patients, leading to continued strong growth in prodisc L cases in the last two years."

About Centinel Spine, LLC

Centinel Spine^®, LLC is a leading global medical device company addressing cervical and lumbar spinal disease by providing the most robust total disc replacement (TDR) technology platform in the world (prodisc^®). The Company's prodisc technology is the most studied and clinically-proven TDR system across the globe, validated by over 540 published papers and 240,000 implantations worldwide.

Centinel Spine continues to advance its pioneering culture and corporate mission to become a catalyst of change in the spine industry and alter the way spine surgery is perceived. The prodisc platform remains the only technology with multiple motion-preserving solutions for both cervical and lumbar anterior column reconstruction.

For more information, please visit the company's website at www.CentinelSpine.com or contact:

Varun Gandhi
Chief Financial Officer
900 Airport Road, Suite 3B West Chester, PA 19380 Phone: 484-887-8871
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Centinel Spine, LLC