Medicare reimbursement for colorectal screening has been expanded to cover average-risk patients, according to the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG).
The U.S. Congress passed legislation in December, amending a 1997 statute that had provided the initial colorectal cancer screening mandates, according to the ACG.
The Medicare guidelines under this new legislation are:
- Fecal occult blood tests: will be reimbursable annually (when ordered by the patient's attending physician) for all patients.
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy: will be reimbursable once every four years for average-risk patients.
- Screening colonoscopy: will be reimbursable once every ten years for average-risk patients.
- Screening colonoscopy: will continue to be reimbursable once every two years for high-risk patients.
March 6, 2001
Related Reading
MRI accurately predicts tumor-free resection margin in rectal cancer surgery, February 19, 2001
Annual stool test, sigmoidoscopy every 5 years most cost-effective screening, October 19, 2000
Colonoscopy best method for colorectal cancer screening, October 17, 2000
One-time colonoscopy is cost-effective in adults between 50 and 54 years old, July 20, 2000
Copyright © 2001 AuntMinnie.com
![Images show the pectoralis muscles of a healthy male individual who never smoked (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; body mass index [BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared], 28.4; number of cigarette pack-years, 0; forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1], 97.6% predicted; FEV1: forced vital capacity [FVC] ratio, 0.71; pectoralis muscle area [PMA], 59.4 cm2; pectoralis muscle volume [PMV], 764 cm3) and a male individual with a smoking history and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; BMI, 27.5; number of cigarette pack-years, 43.2, FEV1, 48% predicted; FEV1:FVC, 0.56; PMA, 35 cm2; PMV, 480.8 cm3) from the Canadian Cohort Obstructive Lung Disease (i.e., CanCOLD) study. The CT image is shown in the axial plane. The PMV is automatically extracted using the developed deep learning model and overlayed onto the lungs for visual clarity.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/03/genkin.25LqljVF0y.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=focalpoint&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
