Insurance giant UnitedHealthcare has postponed -- apparently indefinitely -- a decision announced in September to stop paying for the use of computer-aided detection (CAD) with mammography studies.
The Minneapolis company said in September that it would stop paying for CAD for the 14.8 million people in its network of beneficiaries, with the new policy going into effect in late October. The company backtracked on the decision shortly after the announcement, however, and said it was continuing to review its reimbursement policy on CAD.
UnitedHealthcare apparently continues to have second thoughts about cutting CAD payments, and in the November issue of its Network Bulletin to providers in its network, the company said that the new policy would be postponed "until further notice."
If it sticks, the postponement would be the second time that an insurance payor has decided to pull back on a proposal to cut CAD payments. Earlier this year, ODS Companies of Portland shelved a policy to eliminate CAD reimbursement, just days before it was scheduled to take effect.
Related Reading
UnitedHealthcare ponders cuts to CAD reimbursement, October 26, 2006
CAD still not out of the woods, despite Oregon payor's reversal, July 24, 2007
Oregon payor reverses stand, reinstates CAD payments, July 23, 2007
NEJM study prompts Oregon payor to cancel CAD reimbursement, July 11, 2007
Studies show CAD matches up well with CR mammo, FFDM, May 24, 2007
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