The Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA) is adding its voice to those commending the United States Preventive Services Task Force’s (USPSTF) recent recommendation of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening for high-risk lung cancer patients. The USPSTF’s Grade B recommendation requires private insurers to fully cover the procedure for qualified patients under the Affordable Care Act as early as next year. Now MITA is calling on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to follow suit by providing similar coverage.
“The USPSTF recommendation for annual LDCT imaging for individuals at high risk of developing lung cancer will help save lives by breaking down access barriers to this proven, life-saving diagnostic tool,” said Gail Rodriguez, executive director of MITA. “MITA urges the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to promptly extend coverage for LDCT to high-risk Medicare beneficiaries based on the recommendation and the cost-effectiveness data that supports its use.”
The USPSTF recommendation applies to adults aged 55 to 80 years who have a 30 pack-years smoking history and who currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. A 2013 study published in Cancer found that LDCT screening could prevent as many as 12,000 lung cancer deaths annually. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for men and women in the United States, causing 160,000 deaths annually.
The US Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Energy (DoE) have begun phased implementation of LDCT. For more information, visit MITA.
