Olympus says CMS recently took a significant step forward to boost colorectal cancer care in the U.S.
CMS, on Nov. 1, announced that it will eliminate Medicare cost-sharing for a follow-up colonoscopy after an at-home stool test returns a positive result. Defining such colonoscopies as preventative services means that Medicare beneficiaries will no longer have out-of-pocket costs for both tests.
Medicare has also reduced the minimum age for colorectal cancer screening from 50 to 45 years.
“These rule changes represent a significant step toward improving colorectal cancer care and expanding access to preventive screenings,” said Paul Skodny, executive director of Global Health Economics & Market Access at Olympus Corp. of America.
“The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) considers colonoscopy the gold standard for screening, but the procedure may not be readily available to everyone. That’s why it̵…