AeroPace: Better Care, Lower Costs
Health Economic Analysis Reveals AeroPace System's Clinical and Cost Benefits for Hospitals
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Lungpacer Medical has published a health economic analysis showing its AeroPace System could save hospitals significant money while helping critically ill patients breathe on their own sooner, according to Montreal Gazette. The study, published in Critical Care Medicine, found that the device — which uses mild electrical pulses to stimulate the diaphragm — cut the time patients spend on mechanical ventilators and improved weaning success rates by more than 10% compared to standard care.
The financial case is already gaining traction with regulators. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services granted AeroPace a New Technology Add-On Payment, effective October 1, 2025. That means eligible hospitals can receive up to roughly $23,650 in extra reimbursement per qualifying case, Calgary Sun reported.
What AeroPace Does and How It Works
AeroPace is a temporary neurostimulation therapy. A thin wire is placed through a vein and positioned near the diaphragm — the main breathing muscle. It sends small electrical signals to keep the diaphragm active while a patient is on a ventilator. This prevents the muscle from weakening due to inactivity, a common problem in ICUs, according to Sudbury Star.
Patients on mechanical ventilators often struggle to breathe independently again after their muscles atrophy. The RESCUE-3 clinical trial, which provided data for this analysis, showed AeroPace helped patients break free from the ventilator faster and more often than standard treatment alone.
Trial Data Shows More Than 10% Improvement in Weaning
The health economic model pulled from two sources: the RESCUE-3 trial and U.S. national claims datasets. Together, they showed AeroPace improved ventilator weaning success by more than 10 percentage points versus standard care, Brantford Expositor reported. Weaning means successfully getting a patient off the breathing machine.
The analysis also projected lifetime quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gains of 0.10 to 0.68 per patient. A QALY measures both length and quality of life gained. Experts consider gains in this range consistent with other high-value medical treatments, such as certain cancer therapies and cardiac devices, according to Chatham Daily News.
Up to $23,650 Per Case in New Medicare Reimbursement
The CMS reimbursement approval is a major step for hospital adoption. Starting October 1, 2025, hospitals treating eligible patients with AeroPace can bill for up to approximately $23,650 in additional payment per case under the New Technology Add-On Payment program, Daily Herald Tribune reported. This program is designed to support new medical technologies while broader coverage policies develop.
On the coding side, the American Medical Association assigned new Category III Current Procedural Terminology codes for AeroPace, which took effect July 1, 2026. These codes are a stepping stone. They allow tracking of the procedure and help build the evidence base needed for permanent, long-term reimbursement pathways, according to Cold Lake Sun.
Why Shorter Ventilator Time Means Real Cost Savings
Every extra day on a mechanical ventilator is expensive. ICU care in the U.S. can cost thousands of dollars per day. Reducing ventilation duration even by a small amount adds up quickly across a hospital system. Lungpacer's analysis argues that AeroPace pays for itself through those savings, according to Calgary Sun.
Ventilator-associated complications also rise with longer machine use — including infections and further muscle loss. Faster weaning reduces those risks. For hospitals, that means fewer costly complications to treat and shorter ICU stays overall, Montreal Gazette reported.
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