The American College of Radiology (ACR) is urging the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC) to recommend national Medicare coverage of low-dose CT screening for patients at high risk for lung cancer.
Last December, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended screening of asymptomatic adults ages 55 to 80 years who have a 30-pack-per-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. The ACR, the Lung Cancer Alliance, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and 38 other medical organizations have asked the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide full national coverage for high-risk patients as defined by the USPSTF, and provide coverage with evidence for other high-risk patients not included in USPSTF recommendations, the ACR said.
"We strongly urge MEDCAC to recommend that ... CMS act on the USPSTF recommendation to provide national coverage for high-risk Medicare beneficiaries," said Dr. Paul Ellenbogen, chair of the ACR Board of Chancellors. "This would support screening programs across the nation, and, for the first time, enable providers and patients to strike back against the nation's leading cancer killer."
