Call Comes as Transplant Recipients on Medicare Mark One Year Without Access to Blood Test Able to Catch Rejections Early

这一呼吁发出之际，医疗保险标志上的移植受者一年没有接受血液检测，因此能够及早发现排斥反应

NEW YORK, March 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition (HEiTC) – representing Black, Brown, and minority transplant patients nationwide – is calling on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to restore Medicare coverage for critical diagnostic blood tests without any ties to biopsies.

纽约，2024年3月6日/PRNewswire/——代表全国黑人、布朗族和少数民族移植患者的移植健康公平联盟（HEiTC）呼吁医疗保险和医疗补助服务中心（CMS）恢复关键诊断性血液检查的医疗保险覆盖率，而不与活组织检查有任何联系。

Last week, CMS issued a revised Billing Article and public statement highlighting a revision to its March 2023 coverage policy, which linked the administration of blood tests to a biopsy. In a statement from HEiTC Executive Chairman Al B. Sure! and Senior Advisor Rev. Al Sharpton, the Coalition noted the change does not clarify the level of access that Medicare recipients have to life-saving care..

上周，CMS发布了一篇修改后的账单文章和公开声明，强调对2023年3月的覆盖政策进行了修订，该政策将血液检测管理与活检联系起来。在HEiTC执行主席Al B的声明中。当然！和高级顾问Rev.Al Sharpton，联盟指出，这一变化并没有澄清医疗保险接受者获得救生护理的程度。。

'We appreciate that CMS has taken steps to address the confusion caused by the March 2023 billing article – across the country, doctors stopped administering blood tests to patients on Medicare on the grounds that they would no longer be covered. But the CMS revision and statement last week does not clarify whether access to these tests for organ transplant recipients on Medicare is tied to a biopsy.

“我们赞赏CMS已采取措施解决2023年3月账单文章引起的困惑-在全国范围内，医生停止对医疗保险患者进行血液检测，理由是他们不再被覆盖。但上周CMS的修订和声明并没有阐明医疗保险中器官移植受者获得这些测试是否与活检有关。

Biopsies are painful, risky, and are often prescribed too late – by that point, organ rejection may have already begun. The purpose of these blood tests is to catch a rejection before it happens, which is nearly impossible if they are linked to a biopsy. We pray that is no longer the case, and we urge CMS to publicly clarify to the transplant community, healthcare providers, and all others whether that is the case..

活组织检查是痛苦的，有风险的，并且通常开得太晚-到那时，器官排斥可能已经开始。这些血液检查的目的是在排斥反应发生之前发现排斥反应，如果与活检相关，这几乎是不可能的。我们祈祷情况不再如此，我们敦促CMS向移植社区、医疗保健提供者和所有其他人公开澄清情况是否如此。。

The lack of clarity on this issue continues to put a vulnerable population of overwhelmingly Black and Brown transplant recipients at risk. This is an injustice against those on public health insurance, who rely on it to help with their daily journey toward recovery. They have now been left without a shield for a year as they fight against this bureaucratic confusion.

在这个问题上缺乏明确性继续使绝大多数黑人和棕色移植受者的弱势群体面临风险。这是对那些依靠公共健康保险来帮助日常康复的人的不公正待遇。在与这种官僚混乱作斗争的过程中，他们已经失去了一年的保护。

We will not give up on the fight, as we continue to call on CMS to fully restore Medicare coverage for these tests as it works to finalize its coverage policy. A year of confusion shouldn't set the precedent for a lifetime of uncertainty.'.

我们不会放弃这场斗争，因为我们继续呼吁CMS在最终确定覆盖政策的同时，全面恢复医疗保险对这些测试的覆盖率。一年的困惑不应该成为一生不确定的先例。”。

The milestone anniversary comes as Al B! and Rev. Sharpton last week applauded BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina for its decision to cover routine cell-free DNA testing for kidney and heart transplant patients without any ties to biopsies.

里程碑式的周年纪念日是Al B！上周，夏普顿牧师（Rev.Sharpton）对南卡罗来纳州的蓝十字蓝盾（BlueCross BlueShield）决定对肾和心脏移植患者进行常规无细胞DNA检测而与活检没有任何关系表示赞赏。

These lifesaving tests are critical to detect possible early signs of organ rejection, even before there are apparent clinical signs or symptoms, and enable medical intervention to protect the transplanted organ. One year ago, Palmetto GBA, a private Medicare Administrative Contractor that runs the MolDX program scaled back coverage of these non-invasive diagnostic tests.

即使在出现明显的临床体征或症状之前，这些挽救生命的测试对于检测器官排斥的可能早期迹象至关重要，并且能够进行医疗干预以保护移植的器官。一年前，运行MolDX项目的私人医疗保险管理承包商Palmetto GBA缩小了这些非侵入性诊断测试的覆盖范围。

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have weighed in. In August, a bipartisan letter signed by 14 members of the House of Representatives led by Reps. Anna Eschoo (D-CA) and Dr. Michael Burgess (R-TX), expressing concerns about the March rollbacks was sent to CMS and earlier this year, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Steven Horsford also raised this issue in a letter to CMS and the Department of Health and Human Services. .

来自两党的立法者都参与了进来。8月，由众议员安娜·埃斯科奥（D-CA）和迈克尔·伯吉斯（R-TX）领导的14名众议院议员签署的一封两党信件被发送给CMS，表达了对3月份回滚的担忧，今年早些时候，国会黑人核心小组主席史蒂文·霍斯福德（StevenHorsford）在给CMS和卫生与公共服务部（Department of Health and Human Services）的信中也提出了这个问题。。

Organ transplant care is critical for Black, Hispanic and Latino Americans, who together represent 40 percent of transplants in the U.S. — well above the 32 percent of the general U.S. population. Additionally, Black Americans rank lowest in graft and patient survival among recipients of solid organ transplants, due in part to higher immunological risk leading to higher rejection rates, making blood tests a critical component of their post-transplant care.

器官移植护理对黑人、西班牙裔和拉丁裔美国人至关重要，他们共同占美国移植人口的40%——远高于美国总人口的32%。此外，美国黑人在实体器官移植受者中的移植物和患者存活率最低，部分原因是较高的免疫风险导致较高的排斥率，使血液检查成为其移植后护理的关键组成部分。

Compounding the issue, an astounding 50 percent of those on the 100,000 person transplant waiting list are Black or Hispanic/Latino, making access to transplantation and equitable post-transplant care an important and growing issue in this community..

使问题更加复杂的是，在10万人的移植等待名单上，惊人的50%是黑人或西班牙裔/拉丁裔，这使得获得移植和公平的移植后护理成为这个社区一个重要且日益严重的问题。。

Press Contact: Rachel NoerdlingerHETC@Actumllc.com

Press Contact: Rachel NoerdlingerHETC@Actumllc.com

SOURCE Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition

移植联盟中的来源健康公平