CMS lifts limit on amyloid PET coverage

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on October 13 that it has lifted its coverage limit of one beta-amyloid PET scan per lifetime for patients with Alzheimer’s disease.The decision, which removes the previous national coverage determination and ends coverage with evidence development for beta-amyloid PET, comes in the wake of recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals of the first drugs to treat the disease – monoclonal antibodies that target brain amyloid plaque deposits. Medicare coverage decisions for amyloid PET scans will now be made by local Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs).“Amyloid PET scans can be used to confirm evidence of brain amyloid pathology to select appropriate patients for proven anti-amyloid treatments depending on individual patient characteristics,” the CMS noted, in its decision memo.Amyloid PET scans are a key diagnostic tool enabling clinicians to identify and confirm the presence of amyloid plaques – one of the hallmarks of the disease – in the brains of patients and thus ensure appropriate treatment. While methods other than amyloid PET for identifying pathologic brain amyloid exist or may be emerging (cerebral spinal fluid analysis, which requires a lumbar puncture or simple blood tests), currently amyloid PET is the most-used method, the CMS noted.The decision was applauded by national associations, many of which expressed support for the action during the comment period. In a s...

Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - October 13, 2023 Category: Radiology Authors: Will Morton Tags: Molecular Imaging Source Type: news