Wyoming Medicaid Becomes First State to Cover Cognoa's Canvas Dx, Expanding Access to Early Autism Diagnosis

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Sep 26, 2024, 09:00 ET

New statewide policy empowers Wyoming healthcare professionals to diagnose autism with Canvas Dx, improving early access for families and delivering long term health and economic benefits

PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cognoa, a leading child development and behavioral health company, today announced its inclusion as a covered benefit under Wyoming Medicaid that will cover the cost of the company's flagship product, Canvas Dx – the first FDA authorized diagnostic for children at risk of developmental delays including autism. Wyoming's coverage of AI-based Canvas Dx sets a powerful precedent for other states as a key step to make early detection of autism and subsequent early support and services a reality for all children in need.

In Wyoming, as in many states, autism remains under-detected. The average age of diagnosis is 6.1 years – over a year later than the U.S. average of 5 years, and more than 4.5 years after a reliable diagnosis is generally possible, at 18 months. Families in Wyoming travel up to 224 miles for an autism evaluation, creating additional barriers to timely diagnosis and intervention and underscoring the scarcity of services.

By introducing Canvas Dx as a covered benefit, it is now easier for Wyoming families to get an evaluation and autism diagnosis for their children ages 18 months to 6 years old upon early developmental concern. Canvas Dx is clinically proven to work equitably across gender, race/ethnicity category and socioeconomic status, alleviating inherent biases and misdiagnosis in current processes. Canvas Dx can be prescribed by healthcare professionals, including primary care clinicians across the state and can be used as a telehealth experience or in-person.

This prescient move by Wyoming is expected to result in improved outcomes for children and families as well as reductions in overall healthcare utilization. According to estimates based on diagnosis statistics and published costs, increased access to early diagnosis and care could save Wyoming Medicaid a minimum of $2.8 million annually. Nationally, eliminating the crisis of diagnostic delays could save the U.S. Medicaid program approximately $1 billion per birth year.

"Wyoming Medicaid is pioneering a transformative approach to healthcare that will dramatically benefit children with developmental differences and their families across the state," stated Dr. James Bush, former Medicaid Medical Director at the Wyoming Department of Health. "This trailblazing effort not only optimizes the state's healthcare resources but also demonstrates fiscal foresight, as access to early diagnosis and the right subsequent support can substantially reduce long-term healthcare costs. I am proud of Wyoming's commitment to the health and wellbeing of our children and to removing barriers to support during critical early childhood developmental stages."

"We are thrilled that Wyoming Medicaid is taking this important step to support earlier autism diagnosis for its children through Canvas Dx," said Dr. Sharief Taraman, CEO of Cognoa. "The U.S. healthcare system has long struggled to adequately support children at risk of developmental delay, leaving many families without the services they need and deserve. Wyoming is setting a precedent that we hope other states will follow, ensuring timely and accurate autism diagnosis is available to all children."

Wyoming families interested in an evaluation using Canvas Dx, click here.

Wyoming healthcare professionals interested in using Canvas Dx in their practice, click here.

Indications for Use

Canvas Dx is intended for use by healthcare providers as an aid in the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) for patients ages 18 months through 72 months who are at risk for developmental delay based on concerns of a parent, caregiver, or healthcare provider. The device is not intended for use as a stand-alone diagnostic device but as an adjunct to the diagnostic process. The device is for prescription use only (Rx only).

About Cognoa

Cognoa innovates solutions for healthy child development. We build breakthrough products like Canvas Dx, the first and only FDA authorized autism diagnostic for children ages 1.5 to 6 years that uses responsible AI to empower doctors to quickly, accurately, and fairly diagnose developmental risk without bias. Our digital solutions are child centric and designed to find, assess, and treat developmental concerns early, within the time windows that will yield the optimal outcomes. Our proprietary "whole child" approach to AI fuels our pipeline of diagnostic and therapeutic products for autism, speech and language, ADHD, childhood anxiety, and more. For more information, visit www.cognoa.com.

Media Contact
Kate Schoenstadt (on behalf of Cognoa)
[email protected]
IL:+972 54 777 6684

SOURCE Cognoa