AMA CPT Editorial Panel Votes to Establish a Category I CPT Code for Posterior Vertebral Column Arthroplasty

NORWALK, CT, October 1, 2026 – Premia Spine, Inc., a medical device company that is pioneering a motion-preserving alternative to spinal fusion for patients with spinal stenosis and spondylolisthesis, announces today that the American Medical Association's (AMA's) CPT® Editorial Panel has voted to establish a Category I CPT® Code for Posterior Vertebral Column Arthroplasty.  The AMA officially announced the decision today with the release of the Summary of Panel Actions from the September 2026 meeting under tab 13 ( https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/sept-2026-summary-of-panel-actions.pdf).  The new Category I CPT® code, which will describe posterior vertebral column arthroplasty, becomes effective on January 1, 2028.

In recent years, non-fusion techniques have been developed, and their adoption has grown significantly.  Today, arthroplasty represents a significant standard of care for a range of spinal conditions. “The introduction of the TOPS System from Premia Spine represent a new and rapidly growing treatment category for surgeons who want to avoid fusing their stenosis and spondylolisthesis patients,” explains Ron Sacher, CEO of Premia Spine. “Facet arthroplasty for degenerative spine disease joins disc arthroplasty as a recognized modality of care.”

A significant body of published evidence now exists that demonstrates the safety, clinical effectiveness, and healthcare economic benefit of facet arthroplasty for indicated patients.  In fact, the pivotal FDA study comparing TOPS to lumbar fusion demonstrated that, at two years post-operation, the TOPS System outperformed fusion in treating grade 1 degenerative spondylolisthesis with stenosis at a lower cost. The TOPS arthroplasty group significantly surpassed the TLIF fusion group in overall clinical success, with a 77% success rate compared to 24% respectively. While both arthroplasty and fusion methods stabilized the spine segment, the TOPS facet replacement preserved motion at the index level, leading to fewer complications and reoperations. Furthermore, patients who underwent TOPS arthroplasty reported improved outcomes in areas such as daily function and pain levels at all assessed time points. Notably, the gap in these improvements between the two groups expanded over time, becoming more pronounced from six months to 24 months postoperatively. This accomplishment established the TOPS System as the first lumbar spine implant to receive a superiority claim over lumbar fusion.

"We are delighted to learn that the AMA CPT® Editorial Panel has voted to establish a Category I Code that covers our device. We are confident that with this new code the TOPS System will become more readily available to patients who suffer from lumbar spinal stenosis and degenerative spondylolisthesis and can benefit from a non-fusion surgical treatment option," said Jeff Withrow, VP Reimbursement and Clinical Affairs at Premia Spine.

Premia Spine received PMA approval with a superiority labelling in June 2023 from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its TOPS System. Since then, thousands of patients have benefited from the TOPS System motion-preserving alternative to spinal fusion.