Boston Scientific has announced that Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), one of the largest commercial health insurers in the U.S., now covers the Intracept Procedure for eligible patients with chronic vertebrogenic low back pain. The policy went into effect December 1, 2025 and covers more than 26 million people nationwide.
Approximately 30 million people in the U.S. have chronic low back pain, and 1 in 6 is likely to have vertebrogenic pain, which is caused by damage to vertebral endplates, the interface between the disc and the vertebral body, says Truven Health Analytics MarketScan research from 2015-2017.
This coverage milestone reflects growing recognition of the Intracept Procedure’s clinical value for patients with vertebrogenic pain. It expands access to an FDA-cleared, minimally invasive, outpatient treatment option for patients who have exhausted conservative therapies.
“This positive policy decision reflects the continued coverage momentum for Intracept that we’re seeing across commercial plans in the United States,” said Mary Hailey, Vice President of health economics and reimbursement, Neuromodulation, Boston Scientific. “We remain committed to working with payers on the growing body of Intracept clinical evidence, with the goal of expanding access to a therapy that is proven to deliver significant and durable relief.”
The Intracept Procedure, offered by Boston Scientific, is the only therapy specifically designed to target vertebrogenic pain with multiple long-term clinical studies demonstrating its safety, effectiveness and durability. The procedure is a minimally invasive, implant-free outpatient therapy that uses targeted radiofrequency energy to halt the transmission of pain signals to the brain.
The Intracept System is supported by strong scientific evidence says Boston Scientific, including two Level I RCTs that demonstrate durable improvements in both pain and function after a single treatment, which can be found here and here.
