Benvenue Medical, Inc. has announced that it has signed a group purchasing agreement for the Kiva VCF Treatment System with Novation. The three-year contract means that the Kiva System can be offered to the more than 100, 000 members and affiliates of VHA Inc., UHC, Children’s Hospital Association and Provista served by Novation.
Benvenue Medical Signs Kiva Agreement With Novation
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The Kiva System is indicated for the reduction and treatment of spine fractures in the thoracic and/or lumbar spine from T6-L5. According to the March 30, 2015 news release, Kiva was selected through the Novation Innovative Technology program, which is designed to ensure that members have access to innovative health care technology. The rigorous process includes review by a clinical member council or task force to determine whether the technology represents incremental advantage for members. The Kiva System is the first clinically proven new approach to the treatment of vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) in over a decade.
“We are committed to providing the health care facilities we serve new technologies that are clinically validated and cost-effective, ” said Olya Carter, RN and Senior Clinical Manager at Novation, in the March 30, 2015 news release. “The decision to offer the Kiva System was based on compelling treatment effectiveness data from multiple clinical studies.”
“Kiva has met the high bar set by the Novation Innovative Technology program by providing improved patient outcomes and a reduction in the economic burden to the healthcare system, compared with balloon kyphoplasty, ” said Benvenue CEO Robert Weigle. “We are pleased to offer Kiva through the Novation portfolio, which serves nearly half of all surgeries performed in the U.S.”
According to the company Kiva has been demonstrated in at least three comparative studies with a total of more than 500 patients, to meet or exceed the performance of balloon kyphoplasty.
Weigle told OTW, “Our new relationship with Novation opens so many doors for Kiva, and the Innovative Technology Program validated that Kiva is a new option to treat VCFs which presents advantages for Novation’s members. We are confident that Kiva will live up to these expectations throughout our three-year contract and beyond.”
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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