CMS Expands LDCT Screening for Lung Cancer

CMS announced on February 10 their final decision for coverage of low-dose CT lung cancer screenings. The new guidelines lower the screening age from 55 to 50 and reduce the smoking history pack years from 30 to 20.

The decision expands eligibility for Medicare beneficiaries so that those from age 50 up to 77 and those with a 20-to-30 pack years can receive potentially life-saving lung cancer screenings. CMS Chief Medical Officer and Director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality Lee Fleisher, MD, said, “Today’s decision not only expands access to quality care but is also critical to improving health outcomes for people by helping to detect lung cancer earlier.”

The February 10 decision removes the stipulation that the reading radiologist must verify taking part in continuing education. The new guidelines stipulate that imaging facilities utilize Lung-RADS as their classification tool. Eligible Medicare recipients now must receive a shared decision-making consultation with their physician.

Final guidelines include:

• Ages 50 to 77
• Smoking history of a minimum of 20 pack years
• Recipient must be asymptomatic
• Must be a current smoker or have quit within the last 15 years
• Must have an order for LDCT lung cancer screening

The new updated CMS guidelines update their standards to agree with the USPSTF updated recommendations issued in March 2021 and address healthcare inequities to help reduce gender and race/ethnicities inequities for lung cancer screenings.