Dear AuntMinnie Insider,
Reimbursement for colorectal cancer screening with virtual colonoscopy has been a long and winding road with its share of potholes, to be sure. But one thing that's no longer in doubt is the growing acceptance of the noninvasive colon screening exam.
Increasingly, both patients and providers consider VC a good route to colorectal cancer screening, according to the results of new surveys brought to you exclusively in this issue's Insider article, days in advance of its publication on our general site.
In one survey, nearly a third of patients said they would have skipped screening entirely if VC hadn't been available. In the other, more than 90% of primary care physicians considered both optical and virtual colonoscopy highly effective colorectal cancer screening methods. Learn more about the evolving attitudes of people who matter in VC by clicking here.
Also featured from this year's International Symposium on Virtual Colonoscopy in Cambridge, MA, is an article about the politics of virtual colonoscopy, and the latest efforts to secure broader reimbursement for screening.
In the two years since the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' denial of coverage hit the industry like a thunderbolt, plenty of studies have come out responding to the agency's concerns about a lack of evidence. But will the studies, or anything else, be enough to undo the decision? Get the latest thinking on reimbursement.
Technology is also doing its part to make VC a faster, easier, and more accurate exam. Our third story from the VC symposium -- held this year as an invitation-only affair -- talks about new frontiers in technology beyond the well-trod path of computer-aided detection.
Finally, does Mozart really improve adenoma detection in conventional optical colonoscopy? Would Van Halen have the same effect? Learn the answer to at least half of that question in a news item you'll find here.
Be sure to scroll through the links below for the rest of the news that matters, all in your Virtual Colonoscopy Digital Community.
