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Medicare Finalizes NGS Test Coverage For Advanced Cancers, Drops Evidence-Collection Provision

 
• By Sue Darcey

The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said on March 16 that it will cover next-generation sequencing diagnostic laboratory tests for advanced cancers, broadening its final determination to cover use in relapsed, refractory and stage III cancers, while dropping "coverage with evidence development" conditions.

Medicare, Health Concept

A March 16 final Medicare national coverage determination (NCD) for next-generation sequencing-based diagnostics for advanced cancers should help patients gain wider access to the tests, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma says. CMS expanded its final NCD from an earlier proposal to cover more stages of cancer and ultimately did away with coverage-with-evidence-development (CED) data-collection responsibilities for test sponsors.

"We want cancer patients to have enhanced access and expanded coverage when it comes to innovative diagnostics that can help...

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