CPT code X170T issued for low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy

The American Medical Association (AMA) has issued Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code X170T for low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy (Li-ESWT) for the treatment of men with erectile dysfunction, SoftWave Tissue Regeneration Technologies (TRT), the developer of the technology, announced in a news release.¹

"This code will allow urologists to offer their Medicare patients an affordable option for this patented, revolutionary treatment,” said John Warlick,

The category 3 code was approved after a meeting of the CPT Editorial Panel in May.

"The recognition of Li-ESWT by the CPT Editorial Panel with a dedicated code is the completion of SoftWave's long journey in helping millions of patients and their physicians seeking innovative, safe and effective treatments for men's sexual health. This code will allow urologists to offer their Medicare patients an affordable option for this patented, revolutionary treatment,” said John Warlick, CSO and Founder of SoftWave TRT, in the news release.

Li-ESWT is a non-invasive treatment that issues electrohydraulic acoustic shockwaves to improve erectile function.

Urologists and other medical professionals can begin using the code on January 1, 2024 to facilitate the reimbursement of Li-ESWT involving the corpus cavernosum. Information on the code is available on the AMA CPT website and will be published in the 2024 codebook.

Ongoing research with Li-ESWT

SoftWave TRT said it plans to seek a comparable code following completion of their randomized controlled clinical trial (NCT05806203) assessing low-intensity shock wave treatment (LiSWT) in women with dyspareunia.

In total, the study seeks to enroll 60 patients with dyspareunia across 4 clinical sites. Participants will be blinded and randomized to receive physical therapy plus treatment with LiSWT via the OrthoGold 100 MTS OP155 or sham shock wave treatment.

To be included in the study, patients must be a cisgender female or have natal vaginal tissue, have received a primary diagnosis of dyspareunia, have not started hormonal therapy or received pelvic floor physical therapy within 2 weeks prior, and be able to access electronic informed consent and outcomes measures forms. Exclusion criteria consists of those with a diagnosis of lichen sclerosis, an active infection, a history of gynecologic cancer or pelvic radiation, or those who are pregnant, are earlier than 12 weeks post-surgery, are earlier than 6 weeks postpartum, are actively undergoing cancer treatments, or are using lidocaine or cortisone.

The study will follow patients for 4 to 4.5 months as they receive treatment once per week in 4- to 6-week durations. At 4 to 6 weeks, patients in the sham arm will be given the option to move to the treatment group. All participants will be asked to complete a follow-up questionnaire at 3 months from the start of the intervention.

The primary outcomes to be measured are self-reported pain scores from a tampon test and scores on the Female Sexual Function Index.

The trial is expected to reach completion in April 2024.

Reference

1. SoftWave TRT leads the charge: secures CPT code approval for groundbreaking men’s sexual health and shockwave therapy. News release. SoftWave TRT. July 13, 2023. Accessed July 13, 2023. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/softwave-trt-leads-the-charge-secures-cpt-code-approval-for-groundbreaking-mens-sexual-health-and-shockwave-therapy-301875139.html