Imaging advocates are calling on the federal government to address a coverage gap for PET scans following the full approval of the Alzheimer's drug Leqembi by the FDA. Medicare currently imposes a lifetime limit of one beta-amyloid imaging exam per patient, creating barriers to accessing the necessary scans for patients to benefit from Leqembi. The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging are both urging for the removal of the one-time limit on PET scans and for Medicare to cover ongoing PET exams as part of treatment for Alzheimer's patients. The FDA's approval of Leqembi came after trial results showed it slowed cognitive and functional decline in Alzheimer's patients. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is expected to propose a new national coverage determination that would relax restrictions on PET payment. In a separate news piece, experts at the University of Minnesota are developing a compact MRI system that could potentially be as portable as a truck. This innovation could make MRI exams more easily accessible in various locations. Additionally, a study in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging suggests that stress imaging strategies may still offer more value in certain scenarios compared to FFR-CT, a noninvasive evaluation method for patients being considered for revascularization procedures. Some nuclear cardiology labs are still using outdated SPECT systems, prompting the question of whether an upgrade is necessary.
Tue, 11 Jul 2023 07:36:19 GMT | Radiology Business