CMS updated Medicaid's coverage of an early-detection lung cancer screening Feb. 10, a move that would expand coverage nationwide.
The low-dose computed tomography screenings aim to detect non-small cell lung cancer early on in patients. Lung cancer is one of the most common and deadliest cancers in men and women.
Specifically, the determination lowers the screening age from 55 to 50, and reduces the tobacco smoking history that patients must have to broaden eligibility.
"Expanding coverage broadens access for lung cancer screening to at-risk populations"” said Lee Fleisher, MD, CMS CMO and director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality. "Today's decision not only expands access to quality care but is also critical to improving health outcomes for people by helping to detect lung cancer earlier."
The full decision can be read here.