Medicare Expands Reimbursement and Access to P.E.T.
SAN DIEGO--(BW HealthWire)--March 16, 1999--Mobile P.E.T. Systems Inc., (OTCBB:MBPT - news) announced that access to positron emission tomography (P.E.T.) dramatically increased with last week's announcement by the Health Care Finance Administration (HCFA) of expanded Medicare reimbursement for P.E.T.
The expanded coverage is extremely significant. Lung cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women. The previously approved lung cancer P.E.T. indications are now joined by Medicare coverage of P.E.T. scanning in the diagnosis and management of some of the most common cancers: colon and rectal cancers and lymphomas, as well as in the leading cause of death from skin cancer, malignant melanoma.
According to the American Cancer Society
Last year, there were about 178,000 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed in the United States. In addition, in 1998, there were
131,600 new cases of colon cancer, which was second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in the U.S. There were
62,500 new cases of lymphoma, and 41,600 new cases of melanoma.
''The recent expansion of Medicare by HCFA reaffirms what P.E.T. providers and many referring physicians and private third
payers have known all along -- PET is an essential tool for the detection of disease in cancer patients,'' said Peter Stephen
Conti, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Radiology, Clinical Pharmacy and Biomedical Engineering at the University of
Southern California, and Director of the USC Positron Imaging Science Center and Clinic.
Thousands of Patients Will Benefit
HCFA's decision is reflective of years of carefully accumulated clinical data on the utility of P.E.T. imaging in diagnosing cancer,
and in guiding physicians to the most beneficial therapy for the individual patient. ''The HCFA announcement is important for
several reasons,'' said David C. Frakes, M.D., Chairman of the Medical Advisory Board for MBPT. ''First, cancer patients account for nearly 80 percent of the current P.E.T. scan patient volume.
''Second, most of these cancers are found in the age group that is covered by Medicare. For example, 73 percent of newly
diagnosed colorectal cancers are found in people aged 65 and older. Finally, this is all occurring at the same time that mobile,
state-of-the-art P.E.T. scanning technology is being made available to local hospitals by MBPT. The coupling of this rapid
expansion in mobile service, coincident with expanded insurance coverage, will increase access for thousands of patients.''
Further Expansion of Coverage Anticipated
''As scientific evidence becomes available showing the effectiveness of new technologies, HCFA wants to act as quickly as possible to make sure Medicare beneficiaries have access to safe and effective new technologies,'' said Jeffrey Kang, M.D., HCFA's Chief Medical Officer and director of the Office of Clinical Standards and Quality.
''We will continue to review information presented at the meeting about other potential oncology indications for P.E.T., but we
believe that these three indications have obvious clinical utility and wanted to take immediate steps to begin initiating Medicare
coverage,'' said Mitchell Burken, M.D., a medical officer in the Coverage and Analysis Group within HCFA's Office of Clinical
Standards and Quality.
Mobile P.E.T. Provides Access
MBPT's service brings advanced P.E.T. imaging technology to hospitals that may not have sufficient patient volumes to purchase their own equipment. The contract arrangement safeguards hospitals from financial exposure and technological obsolescence. MBPT's configuration provides a mobile coach which integrates advanced P.E.T. imaging equipment and the technician necessary to provide diagnostic P.E.T. services. The service is made available to medical institutions on a negotiated contractual basis.
Positron Emission Tomography (P.E.T.) Technology
Positron Emission Tomography (P.E.T.) is an advanced imaging technique that assists in the diagnosis and management of numerous diseases. By producing images of the body based on functional rather than anatomic characteristics, P.E.T. shows the progress of a disease and how the body responds to treatment.
P.E.T. scan images go beyond the gross anatomy and structure revealed by conventional x-rays, CT, or MRI scans, and can uncover abnormalities that might otherwise go undetected. Physicians may then apply the most appropriate treatment for the detected disease. For example, P.E.T. can detect tumors unseen by other imaging techniques, or detect Alzheimer's Disease one to two years before the diagnosis would be made clinically.
Learn more about MBPT at www.mobilepet.com.
HCFA Announcement: hcfa.gov
Certain information included in this communication (as well as information included in oral statements or other written
statements made or to be made by Mobile P.E.T. Systems Inc.) contains statements that are forward-looking, such as
statements relating to the future anticipated direction of the health care industry, plans for future expansion, various business
development activities, planned capital expenditures, future funding sources, anticipated sales growth and potential contracts.
These forward statements are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
operations or results to differ materially from those anticipated.
Contact:
Mobile P.E.T. Systems Inc.
Paul Crowe, 619/226-6738
Fax: 619/226-6889
admin@mobilepet.com
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