VUNO's 'Chest CT Interpretation Assistance Solution' to Receive Insurance Coverage in Japan

Medical AI company Vuno announced on the 15th that its AI-based chest computed tomography (CT) reading assistance solution, VunoMed Chest CT AI, has been recognized as eligible for insurance reimbursement in Japan. This is the first time Vuno's product has been covered by health insurance overseas.

Vuno's AI-based chest CT reading assistance solution 'VunoMed Chest CT AI'
[Photo by Vuno]

VunoMed Chest CT AI is a solution that detects lung nodules in lung CT images and provides quantitative information about the nodules. It received certification from the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) of Japan in 2020. The recognition for insurance reimbursement is expected to further accelerate the sales growth that has continued since its launch in 2021. Currently, VunoMed Chest CT AI is sold to hospitals that wish to adopt the solution, which purchase and use it at their own expense without passing costs on to patients.

The insurance coverage applies under a health insurance system in the form of additional fees. Medical institutions that meet certain conditions, such as having six full-time radiology specialists and specialist management of all medical imaging data, are granted the qualification of ‘Imaging Diagnosis Management Additional Fee 3’. Qualified medical institutions can claim the designated insurance fees for each item. Since 2022, Japanese authorities have applied additional fees when medical institutions with the Imaging Diagnosis Management Additional Fee 3 qualification use AI software to promote the medical AI industry.

With this insurance reimbursement in Japan, Vuno plans to focus on strengthening sales and marketing to medical institutions together with its local partner M3, Japan’s largest medical information platform company and a subsidiary of Sony. While planning new promotions related to the additional fees, Vuno will actively participate in relevant academic conferences held in Japan this year. Preparations for the fee application have also been ongoing, including completing contracts for the introduction of VunoMed Chest CT AI at over 70 hospitals in Japan last month.

Lee Yeha, CEO of Vuno, said, “The application of insurance reimbursement for VunoMed Chest CT AI in Japan is expected to be an important momentum to increase Vuno’s overseas sales proportion. Having confirmed the product’s competitiveness in the Japanese medical market, we plan to strengthen cooperation with local partners and actively carry out sales and marketing.”