Benzinga | Jan 7, 2021 08:35AM EST

Vericel Announces Expansion of MACI Coverage by UnitedHealthcare to Include Patella and Multiple Cartilage Defects in the Knee

Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL), a leader in advanced therapies for the sports medicine and severe burn care markets, today announced that UnitedHealthcare has expanded its medical policy for MACI(r) (autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane) to include coverage for patients with symptomatic full-thickness cartilage defects in the patella and multiple cartilage defects in the knee. UnitedHealthcare is the largest commercial payer in the United States, covering more than 26 million lives, and more patients treated with MACI are covered by UnitedHealthcare than any other plan in the United States. The revised policy is effective February 1, 2021.