In 2015, CMS announced individuals aged 55 to 77 who have a “30-pack-year” history were eligible to receive a low-dose CT scan that could catch lung cancer caused by smoking in its earliest stages.
A large multi-year study found a 20 percent reduction from lung cancer among people from that age range with a minimum of 30-pack years.
However, many eligible patients are not getting the scan even despite potentially saving millions of lives. The reason is two-fold: 1) doctors do not know about this type of medical advance, and 2) qualified lung cancer screening programs are in short supply outside of urban areas.
Because rural medical centers do not have the capability to read the results of a scan, many patients are subject to false positives which can lead to unnecessary surgery and sometimes death.
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As a senior news writer for TriMed, Subrata covers cardiology, clinical innovation and healthcare business. She has a master’s degree in communication management and 12 years of experience in journalism and public relations.