NEWS BRIEFS
NEWS BRIEFS
PET reimbursement boosted
Medicare has expanded coverage of positron emission tomography (PET) scanning to include diagnosis and management of some of the most common cancers: colon and rectal cancers and lymphomas, plus malignant melanoma.
According to the American Cancer Society, last year there were 131,600 new cases of colon cancer, 62,500 new cases of lymphoma, and 41,600 new cases of melanoma.
Law would help transplants
U.S. Rep. Charles Canady (R-FL) has sponsored legislation that would require Medicare to extend coverage of immunosuppressive therapies used with organ transplants indefinitely. The legislation would eliminate Medicare’s current 36-month coverage limit on immunosuppressive therapies. Canady’s office estimates the extension would cost $204 million over six years.
Canady argues that because Medicare pays for dialysis and subsequent transplants if an organ is rejected, it also should pay for the less costly immunosuppressive treatments.
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