Medicare has approved a new technology add-on payment for a key radiology artificial intelligence solution under the recently finalized inpatient payment rule.
The federal insurance program for seniors will pay a maximum of $137.53 per case in 2027 for BriefCase-Triage. Manufactured by radiology vendor Aidoc, the CARE (Clinical AI Reasoning Engine) Multi-Triage CT Body tool uses AI to analyze computed tomography images, flagging potentially urgent findings such as appendicitis or a bowel obstruction.
Medicare approved a total of 22 new products, which also received the Food and Drug Administration’s breakthrough device designation, through the “alternative” payment pathway. Another 8 scored reimbursement through Medicare’s traditional payment pathway. Altogether, CMS will spend an additional $779 million for inpatient cases involving emerging medical innovations in fiscal 2027, primarily driven by new technology add-on payments (NTAP).
“Health systems are under increasing pressure to help patients receive accurate diagnoses sooner while managing growing imaging demand and persistent workforce shortages,” Elad Walach, CEO and co-founder of New York-based Aidoc, said in a statement Aug. 13. “By creating a reimbursement pathway for eligible use of diagnostic AI, the NTAP program is helping patients get earlier access to this transformative new technology.”
The CARE CT Body Triage payment figure represents about 65% of the average cost of the technology, the American College of Radiology noted in a summary of the final rule shared Thursday. Cases involving use of the AI product that are eligible for add-on payments will be identified by ICD-10-PCS procedure code XEZ5XKC (computer-aided triage and notification for imaging abnormalities in computed tomography of chest, abdomen and pelvis, new technology group 12), ACR added.
Aidoc said the CT Body Triage device scans for a broad set of acute findings. Beginning Oct. 1, hospitals using it will be eligible for add-on payments spanning the next three years. This is aimed at helping offset the cost of adopting new technologies, granting seniors greater access to emerging diagnostic and treatment tools. The FDA previously granted CT Body Triage its breakthrough designation in September 2025 and 501k clearance in January.
