News
Release: College of American Pathologists
Applauds Congressional Action to Raise Pap Test
Payment Increase under Medicare would
help ensure continued access to lifesaving test in local
communities.
Contact: Gail Cowan, APR (847) 832-7439
WASHINGTON (Oct. 22, 1999)--The College of American
Pathologists (CAP) applauds decisions yesterday in the House and
Senate to improve Medicare payment for Pap tests and ensure women's
continued access to this lifesaving screening service, especially in
local communities.
"The College of American Pathologists has been deeply concerned
about declining access to Pap tests-particularly in local
communities," CAP President Paul Bachner, MD, said. "Yesterday's
actions in the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees
will do much to reverse that trend, and we commend lawmakers for
recognizing the value of this service."
The Ways and Means Committee, as part if its deliberations on
legislation to restore about $15 billion in Medicare spending cut by
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, agreed to legislative language
offered by Rep. Jennifer Dunn, R-Wash., to increase Medicare Pap
test payment to at least $14.60. Medicare now pays, at most, $7.15
for the test--less than half the test's average cost.
In the Senate, Finance Committee Chair William V. Roth Jr.,
R-Del., included a Pap test payment increase in his "Balanced Budget
Adjustment Act of 1999," which the committee approved yesterday. The
legislation would increase Pap test payment to a minimum of $14.60
for two years while the Secretary of Health and Human Services
studies the issue.
The CAP says inadequate federal payment for the test has prompted
its migration from local laboratories to large regional labs that,
through sheer volume, can perform the test more economically. The
reduced availability of Pap testing at the local level carries
potentially serious consequences for health care, including a loss
of contact between a patient's attending physician and the
pathologist familiar with the patient's medical history. Because of
the same concerns for quality care, the College also believes
legislation is needed to guarantee a physician's right to refer to
out-of-network pathologists.
"We urge Congress and the administration to finish the work
started in the House and Senate committees and approve legislation
guaranteeing a minimum Medicare payment for Pap tests of at least
$14.60," Dr. Bachner said. "America's women deserve nothing less."
The Pap test is widely regarded as the most successful cancer
screening service of this century and has reduced the U.S. death
rate from cervical cancer by more than 70 percent since its
introduction shortly after World War II.
The CAP has been spearheading a multiyear public education
campaign to encourage and motivate women to get Pap tests annually
and to promote the benefits of this lifesaving screening test in the
fight against cancer.
One of its more recent and successful activities has been the
establishment of a World Wide Web site, http://www.papsmear.org/,
through which women can register to receive annual e-mail reminders
to schedule their Pap tests.
The CAP is a medical society serving nearly 16,000 physician
members and the laboratory community throughout the world. It is the
world's largest association composed exclusively of pathologists and
is widely considered the leader in laboratory quality assurance. The
CAP is an advocate for high quality and cost-effective patient care.
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