The American College of Radiology (ACR) is lauding a vote this week in favor of reimbursement for CT lung cancer screening by the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates.
On June 11 at its meeting in Chicago, the House of Delegates voted to recommend insurance coverage of low-dose CT lung cancer screening by Medicare, Medicaid, and private-payor plans. Resolution 114 states the following:
RESOLVED, That our American Medical Association recommend that coverage of screening low-dose CT (LDCT) scans for patients at high risk for lung cancer by Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance be a required covered benefit.
CT lung cancer screening had been on a path to Medicare reimbursement, but it hit a snag in April when a panel convened by the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC) gave a vote of low confidence for the scans. MEDCAC will publish its formal recommendation in November to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
