Brain Imaging to Detect Alzheimer’s Urged for Insurance Coverage
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Advanced imaging that detects plaque in the brain should be covered by Medicare and private insurers for select people with dementia to help diagnose or rule out Alzheimer’s disease, advocates and doctors said.
The recommendations released today are the first to help govern the burgeoning field of brain imaging and may increase the use of the practice to improve care for the 5 million Americans affected with Alzheimer’s. The Alzheimer’s Association and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging crafted the proposal to address which patients might benefit from the PET scan technology that detects the plaque.