HCFA EXPECTING DELAYS IN PAYMENTS FOR CLAIMS COVERING USE OF DEDICATED PET SCANNERS FOR DIAGNOSIS AND STAGING OF LUNG CANCER; EFFECTIVE DATE IS DEC. 18
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Medicare payment for the use of dedicated positron emission tomography (PET) scanners in diagnosing and staging lung cancer will begin in early 1998 at the earliest, according to staffers at the Health Care Financing Administration. Claims submitted on or after Dec. 18, the effective date of HCFA's interim PET coverage, will be retroactively reimbursed.