The New York Times reports on changes in a recent Medicare proposal that would have eliminated coverage for a type of test designed to detect heart disease.
In December, Medicare announced that it would stop covering the cost of the test - called a 64-slice CT Scan - because there was insufficient evidence demonstrating that it was effective. Now, after reviewing the case, that decision has been reversed, and the test will still be covered.
Used as a minimally invasive alternative to traditional diagnostic tests - which involve piercing the skin and threading catheters through the blood stream and into the heart - there is evidence suggesting that CT scan is effective. The problem lies in interpreting whether the test is "more effective enough" to offset its higher cost.
Physician groups argued that the non-invasive nature of the test offsets the cost, over time, since there is no risk of infection or other complications that accompany more invasive tests.
Medicare's final position was that though the evidence on the test needs to be refined, it has a history of providing coverage for tests with similar data support. In other words, the group found no reason to deny the potential benefits of the test to appropriate patients while waiting to see what final data will show.
The scan costs about $600 and is available only at hospitals.
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