CHICAGO, April 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the Dermatology Association of Radiation Therapy (DART), some 96,000 Tennesseans are likely to be diagnosed with a common form of skin cancer this year, but for those covered by Medicare, reimbursement for a nonsurgical treatment offered by dermatologists may be stripped away..

芝加哥，2024年4月2日/PRNewswire/--根据放射治疗皮肤病学会（DART），今年约有96000名田纳西州人可能被诊断出患有常见形式的皮肤癌，但对于医疗保险覆盖的人，皮肤科医生提供的非手术治疗的报销可能会被取消。。

Palmetto GBA, a subsidiary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina, is authorized by the federal government to regulate Medicare in Tennessee and six other states. Palmetto is moving quickly to cancel coverage, which has been in effect nearly 10 years. That would leave coverage only for procedures at radiation therapy cancer centers or for Mohs surgery in most cases, although Mohs surgeons are relatively few in number and are rarely found in rural communities..

Palmetto GBA是南卡罗来纳州蓝十字和蓝盾的子公司，经联邦政府授权管理田纳西州和其他六个州的医疗保险。Palmetto正在迅速取消已生效近10年的覆盖范围。在大多数情况下，这将只覆盖放射治疗癌症中心的手术或Mohs手术，尽管Mohs外科医生的数量相对较少，在农村社区很少发现。。

Nonmelanoma skin cancer (basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma) is the most common type of cancer in the U.S., affecting some 9,500 Americans every day, with more than 3.3 million new cases recorded yearly nationwide.

非黑色素瘤皮肤癌（基底细胞癌和鳞状细胞癌）是美国最常见的癌症类型，每天影响约9500名美国人，全国每年记录的新病例超过330万。

Until recent years, Mohs surgery was the usual treatment, with the doctor cutting away suspect tissue, examining each sample under a microscope, and continuing until the resected tissue appeared free of cancer cells. Pain, surgical scarring and the need for reconstructive surgery were not uncommon effects of the treatment..

直到最近几年，莫氏手术一直是常用的治疗方法，医生切除可疑组织，在显微镜下检查每个样本，直到切除的组织没有癌细胞为止。疼痛，手术疤痕和需要重建手术是治疗的常见效果。。

Then, in 2015, a safe, noninvasive, FDA-cleared treatment option with no surgical scarring began being offered in dermatology practices. Dermatologists achieved the same 99%+ cure rate as Mohs surgery with the newer Image-Guided Superficial Radiation Therapy, also called Image-Guided SRT, or IGSRT. The scientifically proven treatment, that uses low-level x-rays guided by ultrasound imaging, won favor with patients and dermatologists.

然后，在2015年，在皮肤科实践中开始提供一种安全，无创，FDA批准的治疗选择，没有手术疤痕。皮肤科医生使用较新的图像引导表面放射疗法（也称为图像引导SRT或IGSRT）达到了与Mohs手术相同的99%以上的治愈率。这种经过科学验证的治疗方法使用超声波成像引导的低水平x射线，赢得了患者和皮肤科医生的青睐。

Medicare and most private insurance plans covered the procedure..

医疗保险和大多数私人保险计划涵盖了这一过程。。

'The insurance industry group that controls Tennessee's Medicare coverage is clearly ill-suited to render judgment on Image-Guided SRT,' said Jacob Scott, MD, DPhil., president of the Dermatology Association of Radiation Therapy (DART). 'No experts in the use of, or research related to Image-Guided SRT were invited to participate in panels to discuss the technology, nor have they been contacted by Palmetto for input into policy formation.

DPhil医学博士雅各布·斯科特（JacobScott）说：“控制田纳西州医疗保险覆盖范围的保险业集团显然不适合对图像引导的SRT进行判断。”。，放射治疗皮肤病学协会（DART）主席没有邀请使用图像引导SRT的专家或与图像引导SRT相关的研究专家参加小组讨论该技术，Palmetto也没有联系他们为政策制定提供投入。

In their first hearing, the scientific literature they considered was published before this newer treatment even existed.'.

在他们的第一次听证会上，他们认为科学文献是在这种新疗法出现之前发表的。”。

Dr. Kimberly Grande of The Skin Wellness Center in Knoxville, noted, 'Every patient deserves to have a clear understanding of their treatment options. Medicare and private insurers need to ensure coverage for Image-Guided SRT whenever it's considered the most appropriate treatment by patients and their medical teams.

诺克斯维尔皮肤健康中心的金伯利·格兰德博士指出，“每个患者都应该清楚地了解他们的治疗选择。医疗保险和私人保险公司需要确保图像引导SRT的覆盖范围，只要患者及其医疗团队认为它是最合适的治疗方法。

Mohs surgery might not be the recommended approach for certain patients, such as those with diabetes or compromised immune systems. Patients who seek non-surgical alternatives or have concerns about surgery deserve access to Image-Guided SRT, a crucial treatment option that should remain covered by Medicare.'.

对于某些患者，例如糖尿病或免疫系统受损的患者，莫氏手术可能不是推荐的方法。寻求非手术替代方案或担心手术的患者应该获得图像引导的SRT，这是一种关键的治疗选择，应该继续由医疗保险覆盖。”。

Consumers who care about keeping their insurance coverage for the nonsurgical treatment should write to the panel by May 11, at A.Policy@PalmettoGBA.com.

关心保持非手术治疗保险范围的消费者应在5月11日之前写信给专家组A.Policy@PalmettoGBA.com.

Media Contact:Matt RussellRussell Public Communications520-232-9840mrussell@russellpublic.com

媒体联系人：Matt RussellRussell PublicCommunications520-232-9840mrussell@russellpublic.com

SOURCE Dermatology Association of Radiation Therapy

放射治疗源皮肤病学会