Government
CMS against covering virtual colonoscopies
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 23, 2009
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed that Medicare not pay for virtual colonoscopies, dealing a setback to medical experts who consider the procedure an effective alternative to conventional colonoscopies.
In a proposed decision memo issued Feb. 11, CMS said it found inadequate evidence that virtual colonoscopy, also known as CT colonography, is an appropriate cancer screening test.
The agency will accept public comments for 30 days before issuing a final coverage decision.
After the publication of several large studies on virtual colonoscopies, CMS, in May 2008, initiated a national coverage analysis to evaluate the procedure's effectiveness and determine if sufficient evidence supported Medicare coverage. CMS determined that it was less effective than traditional colonoscopies at detecting polyps that were small, flat or depressed.
But the American Cancer Society pointed to results of a large clinical trial published in the Sept. 18, 2008, New England Journal of Medicine concluding that CT colonography is just as effective as the traditional approach in finding colorectal cancer and large polyps, especially for people at average risk.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/02/23/gvbf0223.htm.
