Catheter Precision’s VIVO™ 3D Mapping System Secures National Reimbursement in NHS England’s Specialised Services Devices Programme

Leading European medtech supplier Healthcare 21 (HC21) has gained national reimbursement for Catheter Precision’s VIVO 3D mapping system in the UK following it being granted inclusion in NHS England’s Specialised Services Devices Programme (SSDP).

NHS England’s SSDP, previously known as High-Cost Tariff Excluded Devices (HCTED), paves the way for comprehensive reimbursement and broader accessibility within the UK healthcare system.

The device marks a breakthrough in cardiovascular treatment and pre-procedure arrhythmia localisation. One of the main challenges is that conventional invasive mapping is both time-consuming for localisation and often unsuccessful. VIVO is a pre procedural, non-invasive 3D imaging system that enables physicians to identify the origin of arrhythmias, streamlining workflow and reducing overall procedure time. In clinical studies, VIVO has shown a reduction in mapping time of up to 30%.

VIVO uses standard clinical inputs and proprietary algorithms to create patient-specific anatomy and provide a 3D image of the heart with a superimposed activation map, accurately identifying the earliest onset of the arrhythmia.

Steve Matthews, business manager for HC21’s Cardiovascular Division, said: “Being positioned on the SSDP list is a significant step for Catheter Precision in introducing the VIVO system to new hospitals across the UK. At HC21, we are grateful to have supported Catheter Precision in bringing this device to the UK market, and we are pleased to provide our clinicians with a mapping system that is making a real difference to their patients.”

Professor Tarv Dhanjal MBChB(hons) PhD FRCP FESC, Consultant Cardiologist & Electrophysiologist, Honorary Professor of Cardiology, University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire, said: “Here at UHCW we have integrated VIVO into our VT and PVC mapping strategies over the past 12 months.  We have seen and reported on the real benefit this non-invasive mapping approach adds to the clinical workflow in the EP lab. It is great news that VIVO is finally available via the SSDP as this will facilitate greater patient benefit.”

The primary goal of the SSDP programme is to minimise price fluctuations, enhance transparency, and offer cost-effective solutions. It seeks to expedite the integration of efficient new technologies, generating savings for the NHS through procurement opportunities with its NHS Supply Chain collaborators.

NHS England has a nationwide purchase and supply system for specific categories of the SSDP used in specialised services designed to support the accelerated adoption of effective new technologies. NHS England has agreed that these devices should be paid for separately from the national tariff for a medical procedure. Hospital providers can now order the VIVO consumables through the SSDP and bill the cost of the device directly to NHS England.