Medicare officials have added the human papillomavirus test to its list of covered services for cervical cancer screening.
In a national coverage decision issued on July 9, officials at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that the “evidence is sufficient” to add HPV testing once every 5 years as a preventive service benefit under the Medicare program for asymptomatic women aged 30-65 years in conjunction with the Pap smear test.
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Previously Medicare only covered a screening pelvic examination and Pap smear test at 12- and 24-month intervals based on specific risk factors.
The decision has the potential to affect about 5 million women aged 30-65 who are enrolled in the Medicare program, according to a CMS estimate.
In 2012, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended screening with a combination of Pap smear and HPV testing every 5 years for women aged 30-65 years. The task force recommends against using HPV testing for cervical cancer screening in women younger than age 30.
The American Academy of Family Physicians, which had urged Medicare officials to add the HPV test as a covered option for cervical screening, praised the decision.
“This decision is consistent with the best medical evidence and provides women and their physicians more options for cervical cancer screening,” Dr. Robert L. Wergin, AAFP president, said in a statement.