The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reported that it intends to expand Medicare coverage of PET to include some Medicare beneficiaries with suspected Alzheimer's disease.
CMS will accept public comments on the draft decision memorandum for 30 days, and will make the decision final within 90 days.
Based on a scientific review performed when CMS was asked to reconsider its previous non-coverage decision, the agency determined that use of PET for the diagnosis of suspected Alzheimer's disease would be covered for patients when a specific diagnosis remains uncertain despite a thorough clinical evaluation.
In addition, CMS said that Medicare would also cover PET in other patients with early dementia or unexpected memory loss who are enrolled in clinical trials that provide certain safeguards for patients, including informed individualized analysis and evaluation of test results and health status. CMS said it is now working with the National Institute on Aging, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Alzheimer's experts to encourage the development and implementation of such trials.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writersJune 16, 2004
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