LUNGevity Foundation Applauds CMS Decision for Medicare and Medicaid Coverage of High Risk Population CT Scans

WASHINGTON (November 10, 2014) – LUNGevity Foundation President Andrea Ferris today applauded the announcement by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of their draft decision to approve coverage of low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening for high-risk lung cancer populations.

Ferris commented, “LUNGevity is thrilled about the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) preliminary decision to cover annual low-dose CT scans for those at high risk of a lung cancer diagnosis.  This screening has the potential to reduce lung cancer deaths for this population by up to 20%. LUNGevity is grateful for the hard work of key healthcare organizations, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Lung Cancer Alliance, and the 45 Senators and 134 House representatives who stood up for this decision, which has great positive impact on our nation’s growing Medicare population.”

Pierre P. Massion, M.D., chair of LUNGevity Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board and director of the Thoracic Program at the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, also commented on the CMS decision, “I am very heartened by the CMS decision to reimburse low-dose CT scans for those Medicare beneficiaries who are at high risk for lung cancer.  The benefits of screening for lung cancer and finding it early are unequivocal. The approval of coverage for Medicare beneficiaries means potentially saving 12,000 lives.  At the same time, critical lung cancer research must continue to accelerate our knowledge about who is at risk for lung cancer, how frequently they should be screened and how to treat those who have been diagnosed.  This is a very good decision for our nation’s high risk lung cancer patients, and for those in the medical community who care for them.”

LUNGevity Foundation President Andrea Ferris and Chair of LUNGevity Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board and Director of the Thoracic Program at Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center Pierre P. Massion, M.D., are available for interviews.  To coordinate, please contact David Bahr: 202-414-0773 (office); or email, dbahr@susandavis.com.

About Lung Cancer

• 1 in 14 Americans is diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime
• More than 224,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year
• About 60% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers
• Lung cancer kills more people than the next three cancers (colorectal, breast, and pancreatic) combined
• Only 17% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, BUT if it’s caught before it spreads, the chance for 5-year survival improves dramatically

About LUNGevity Foundation

LUNGevity Foundation is firmly committed to making an immediate impact on increasing quality of life and survivorship of people with lung cancer by accelerating research into early detection and more effective treatments, as well as by providing community, support, and education for all those affected by the disease. Our vision is a world where no one dies of lung cancer. For more information about LUNGevity Foundation, please visit www.LUNGevity.org.