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Click here to save article in WinZip.exe format to your PC The Centers for Medicaid and Medicaid (CMS) has announced that it will
begin covering the cost of positron emission tomography (PET scans) for
people over age 65 who have been diagnosed with dementia and who have
experienced a six month decline in cognitive abilities.
The purpose of this is to study whether or not these folks have
Alzheimer disease, and if so, to begin a drug regimen as early as possible
to delay the further invasion of the disease.
PET scans are able to diagnose the disease in 90% of the cases. The cost of such scans could run as high as $1,500 a scan and most of
the elderly cannot afford it. Further, once has approved payments, insurance companies are more likely
under competitive pressures to also provide coverage. |
