CMS Proposes Expanded Colonoscopy Coverage

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed lowering the age for first screening colonoscopy and covering follow up colonoscopy after at-home screening, the agency announced.

The decision to lower the age for first screening to age 45 aligns CMS coverage with the latest recommendation of the United States Preventive Services Task Force.

“To reduce barriers to getting a colonoscopy, CMS is proposing that a follow-up colonoscopy to an at-home test be considered a preventive service, which means that cost sharing would be waived for people with Medicare,” the agency stated in a release announcing the change in policy.

Colorectal cancer was the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States in 2020.

—Rebecca Mashaw

Reference:

CMS proposes physician payment rule to expand access to high-quality care. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Press release. July 07, 2022. Accessed July 15, 2022. https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-proposes-physician-payment-rule-expand-access-high-quality-care