June 6 is National Cancer Survivors Day. In the spirit of National Cancer Survivors Day, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reminds health care professionals that Medicare provides coverage for a variety of preventive services, including certain cancer screenings. By encouraging your patients with Medicare to take advantage of covered screenings, you can help them lead healthier lives.

Medicare Covered Cancer Screenings

Medicare provides coverage for the following cancer screenings for eligible Medicare beneficiaries:

· Screening mammographies,

· Screening pap tests,

· Screening pelvic exams,

· Colorectal cancer screening, and

· Prostate screening

For More Information

· CMS has developed a variety of educational products and resources to help health care professionals and their staff become familiar with coverage, coding, billing, and reimbursement for the cancer screenings covered by Medicare.

o The Medicare Learning Network (MLN) Preventive Services Educational Products Web Page ~ provides descriptions and ordering information for Medicare Learning Network (MLN) preventive services educational products and resources for health care professionals and their staff. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.asp

o The Cancer Screenings Brochure ~ This brochure provides coverage information on the Medicare-covered cancer screenings listed above.

http://www.cms.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/cancer_screening.pdf

o The Guide to Medicare Preventive Services for Physicians, Providers, Suppliers and Other Health Care Professionals ~ This comprehensive resource contains coverage, coding, and payment information for the many preventive services covered by Medicare, including cancer screenings. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/mps_guide_web-061305.pdf

o Quick Reference Information: Medicare Preventive Services ~ This chart contains coverage, coding, and payment information for the many preventive services covered by Medicare, including cancer screenings, in an easy-to-use quick-reference format. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/MPS_QuickReferenceChart_1.pdf

o The Medicare Preventive Services Series: Part 3 Web-Based Training Course (WBT) ~ This WBT includes lessons on coverage, coding, and billing for several Medicare-covered preventive services, including screening mammography, pap tests, and pelvic exams. To access the WBT, please visit the MLN homepage at: http://www.cms.gov/mlngeninfo Scroll down to “Related Links Inside CMS” and click on “WBT Modules”

o The Preventive Services Educational Products PDF ~ This PDF document contains links to downloadable versions of the many products the MLN has available related to Medicare-covered preventive services, including brochures, quick reference guides, and more. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/Downloads/education_products_prevserv.pdf

o To order hard copies of certain MLN products, please visit the MLN homepage at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/mlngeninfo Scroll down to “Related Links Inside CMS” and click on “MLN Product Ordering Page”

· For more information about National Cancer Survivors Day, please visit the official website at http://www.ncsdf.org on the internet.