Congress supports CRC screening

The AGA, ASGE, and ACG applaud 27 members of the U.S. Senate and 94 members of the U.S. House of Representatives for calling on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in late September to consider the effect colonoscopy has had in reducing the incidence of colorectal cancer when determining whether a drastic reduction in Medicare payment for colonoscopy is justified. 

The three gastroenterology societies, which together represent virtually every gastroenterologist in the nation, specifically thank Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), and Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-N.J.) and Rep. Leonard Lance (R-N.J.), who championed these U.S. Senate and House letters to the CMS.

“Thanks to increased screening rates, colorectal cancer incidence rates in the United States have dropped by more than 30% over the past decade,” Sen. Cardin said. “We must avoid any action that could jeopardize the significant progress we’ve made. Working together, we can reach HHS’s goal of an 80% screening rate by 2018.”

“As a gastroenterologist, I know the value of improving colorectal cancer screening rates in Medicare. We must ensure that any changes made in Medicare reimbursement don’t hamper the progress made in cancer screening,” Sen. Cassidy said. “These screenings help reduce the rate of colorectal cancer, which is devastating for patients, and costly to the system.”  

On Sept. 8, the AGA, ASGE, and ACG submitted formal comments to the CMS that included an in-depth and detailed review of the CMS’s flawed methodologies and rationale for making these cuts.

Fortunately, Sen. Ben Cardin and Sen. Bill Cassidy, and Rep. Donald Payne Jr. and Rep. Leonard Lance, “see that the proposed 2016 Medicare reimbursement cuts could limit patient access to colorectal cancer screening,” said Michael Camilleri, M.D., AGAF, president, AGA Institute. “We thank them for asking CMS to carefully consider stakeholder comments on the proposed rule and determine whether deep reductions in reimbursement rates are justified by the evidence and whether cuts are in the interests of Medicare beneficiaries.”

Find out more information about the value of colorectal cancer screening and prevention at www.valueofcolonoscopy.org.