Members of Congress Urge National Medicare Coverage of CT Colonoscopy
November 10, 2008
Citing recent clinical studies and new practice guidelines, six Members of Congress have called upon CMS to approve national coverage of CT colonoscopy as a screening test for colorectal cancer.
The views were expressed in a late-October letter to CMS Administrator Kerry Weems, saying that CT colonoscopy “provides patients a more comfortable, safer, and cost-effective screening alternative.” It also pointed out that, while the cost of the procedure varies nationwide, it can be as little as one-fourth that of a traditional colonoscopy. CMS began a national coverage review of the procedure in May.
The letter also pointed to the recent release of guidelines supporting CT colonoscopy screening by the American College of Radiology, the American Cancer Society, and the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer. As further support for national coverage, the letter cited the results of the ACRIN (American College of Radiology Imaging Network) study published in September in the New England Journal of Medicine which showed that CT colonoscopy is comparable to standard colonoscopy.
The letter was signed by the following Members of Congress: Barbara Cubin, WY; Ed Towns, NY; Chip Pickering, MS; Charlie Wilson, OH; John Sullivan, OK, and Tammy Baldwin, WI.
For the full letter, 
click here.
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