Insurer considers drop of sedation in colonoscopy
- From: "OldGoat" <oldgoatmail@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 18:14:11 GMT
Well isn't this a fine kettle of fish?
Every time someone has a colonoscopy without anestesia, a member of the
board of directors of Aetna, should have one without it. How many people
could they save with their brave example? How many people will they kill
with their cowardly penny pinching?
Here's a fine example of the type of health care quaility we can expect when
either party of the government gets their hands on it. You'll be the most
healthy person alive, wishing that you were dead.
From Yahoo News--og:
Aetna postpones sedation policy change
AP Business Writer 26 minutes ago
Aetna Inc. said Wednesday it will delay a proposed policy that would stop
covering the cost of using anesthesiologists during colonoscopies.
The policy had been opposed by a group of New Jersey doctors who said
denying coverage of anesthesiologists to anxious patients would lead to
fewer cancer screenings.
The Hartford-based insurer's policy was to take effect Apri1 1. Aetna said
it will now be implemented after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
approves other forms of sedation.
"Implementation of our policy on April 1 would inconvenience our members ...
and potentially depress cancer screening rates in the short term," said Dr.
Troyen Brennan, Aetna's chief medical officer.
Aetna initially announced its policy in December in an attempt to address
questions about the medical necessity of an anesthesiologist's services
during routine upper and lower endoscopic procedures, such as colonoscopies.
Aetna would still cover anesthesiologists for high-risk patients.
The change was opposed by the Medical Society of New Jersey, which said
patients should be assured that their insurance coverage includes the cost
of anesthesiologists who administer propofol, an anesthesia the doctors say
is effective and comfortable.
A call was placed to the group seeking comment.
Aetna has said moderate sedation works just as well and does not require an
anesthesiologist, which can drive up the cost of the procedure by between
$200 and $1,000. Gastroenterologists generally decide whether to use
propofol or moderate sedation.
Aetna said it hopes delaying the policy will allow adequate time for new
"attractive, patient-friendly alternatives to anesthesiologist-monitored
sedation services" to be approved by the FDA.
New medical devices, as well as new sedatives, are expected on the market
during the late summer and are in review with the FDA now, Aetna said.
Once that occurs, Aetna will implement its policy, Brennan said.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United
States and regular screening could eliminate as many as 60 percent of deaths
each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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