CMS on Thursday 2/12/09 announced a tentative decision to end Medicare coverage for virtual colonoscopies, or CT colonographies, the New York Times reports. "Controversy has swirled for years" about whether virtual colonoscopies, which use X-ray images and computer software to create images of the colon, are as effective as traditional colonoscopies, which use a small camera that is passed through the colon, according to the Times.
According to a notice published on the CMS Web site, an analysis conducted by the agency found "insufficient evidence" to conclude that virtual colonoscopies "improve outcomes in Medicare beneficiaries." The analysis found that virtual colonoscopies are as effective as traditional colonoscopies in the detection of larger polyps but less effective in the detection of smaller polyps.
source: Kaisernetwork,org
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