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    • Icon: EC eCQMs EC eCQMs
    • Resolution: Unresolved
    • Icon: Minor Minor
    • Measure
    • Jennifer McCartney
    • 847-650-0423
    • Comment - PSA Screening

      PSA is an excellent tool to detect prostate cancer. Prostate cancer deaths have gone down dramatically since the PSA test was developed. It is so unsettling to think that PSA test would either not be a paid benefit and that physicians may be penalized for ordering the screening tool. CMS should be looking at the over utilization of physician owned IMRT centers rather than holding back on prostate cancer screenings. I work with prostate cancer patients that are not given all their treatment options. They are being strongly suggested by their urologist to be treated with external beam radiation at one of their physician owned radiation centers. These physicians make a lot of money by referring these patients. Often times these men are traveling more than 20 miles from their homes because the physician says that is the best place to treat their cancer. They are passing several hospitals that have the same equipment so they can make more money. They are also not telling patients about radiation seed implants because they make no money off that treatment. When cure rates with seeds are excellent and have little to no side effects compared to other prostate cancer treatments. These are issues the government should be looking at. The cost for treatment with seeds versus IMRT is 4 times less expensive. That would save government a lot of money!

            JLeflore Mathematica EH eCQM Team
            jennifer@prostateimplant.com Jennifer T. McCartney (Inactive)
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