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Date Submitted:
12/11/07
Hits: 12 Rating:  0/5 based on 0 votes
Most Medicare Recipients Ignore Colorectal Cancer Screening
Description:
MONDAY, Dec. 10 (HealthDay News) -- The majority of Americans in Medicare aren't getting screened for colorectal cancer, a major killer, even though the screening is free, a new study finds.
In fact, the percentage of enrollees in Medicare, the federal health insurance program for older Americans, getting screening tests such as colonoscopies has declined since the program began paying for them, the study said. An assessment of 153,469 Medicare members identified in 1998 found that 29.2 percent of them were screened for colorectal cancer between 1991 and 1997, when Medicare began paying for screening tests. Only 25.4 were screened between 1998 and 2004, after screening was covered by Medicare, the study found. Failure to get those tests costs lives, said study author Dr. Gregory Cooper, interim chief of gastroenterology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. "We know that the survival curve is strongly related to the state at which the cancer is diagnosed Read the Complete Article Similar content: Increased Glucose Levels Associated With Colorectal Cancer, in Diabetes Periodic Health Checkups Boost Cancer Screening Rates, in Prostate Cancer Medicare Patients Fare Better at Orthopedic Hospitals, in Arthritis Biologic Drug Approved to Prevent Hepatitis B in Liver Recipients, in Hepatitis Health Tip: Don't Ignore Bleeding Gums, in Leukemia |
