PET Imaging Department

CURRENT COVERAGE OF PET SCANS

Currently most major insurance companies recognize the value of PET scans and pay for almost every indication. Medicare, however, only pays for certain indications. Currently only two indications are covered:

PET Imaging of solitary pulmonary nodules using 18FDG
PET Imaging- initial staging of pathological diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer

As of July 1, 1999, Medicare will cover three more indications:

PET imaging for recurrence of colorectal cancer, PET imaging for staging and characterization of lymphoma and PET imaging for recurrence of melanoma.

If an insurance company denies a claim, a letter of medical necessity stating why the PET scan was needed can usually result in payment of the PET scan. With Medicare, however, certain conditions and records are required for successful reimbursement of the PET scan. All these requirements will be handled by Terre Haute Medical Laboratory/Union Hospital.