What about CT colonography?

Last month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed approving Medicare coverage of a stool DNA colorectal cancer screening test. The move had the American College of Radiology (ACR) asking, “What about CT colonography?”

In a letter to CMS, the ACR asked that the same coverage criteria used to approve the DNA test also be applied to CT colonography, or virtual colonoscopy. The DNA screening test was granted coverage through a new joint approval process with the FDA, and the ACR called for this criteria to be “transparent and consistently applied.”

This is an important discussion because CT colonography’s 3D reconstructed views have been shown to offer comparable accuracy to standard colonoscopy, but patients more often prefer CT colonography.

Having options for patients can help boost screening rates, and while the DNA test is another alternative, the ACR argued that CT colonography “significantly outperforms” the DNA test and can more easily detect precancerous polyps.

CIGNA, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and a number of other payers currently cover screening CT colonography, though Medicare does not.

“CT colonography is an American Cancer Society recommended screening test. The exam’s performance far exceeds the standard applied to the DNA test. Transparent evidence-based approval, and the need for more screening options for the nation’s second leading cancer killer, require that Medicare cover beneficiaries for CT colonography,” Judy Yee, MD, chair of the ACR Colon Cancer Committee, said in a statement.

-Evan Godt
Editor – Health Imaging

Evan Godt
Evan Godt, Writer

Evan joined TriMed in 2011, writing primarily for Health Imaging. Prior to diving into medical journalism, Evan worked for the Nine Network of Public Media in St. Louis. He also has worked in public relations and education. Evan studied journalism at the University of Missouri, with an emphasis on broadcast media.

Trimed Popup
Trimed Popup