[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 226 (Friday, November 23, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58741-58742]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-28807]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-3077-N]


Medicare Program; Withdrawal of Medicare Coverage of Certain 
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scanners

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, HHS.

[[Page 58742]]


ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces our decision to withdraw Medicare 
coverage from certain 2-[F-18] Fluoro-D-Glucose Positron Emission 
Tomography (PET) scanners.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This notice is effective January 1, 2002 for clinical 
indications already covered by Medicare for 2-[F-18] Fluoro-D-Glucose 
PET scans before July 1, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mitchell Burken, M.D., (410) 786-6861.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 27, 1999, we published a notice (64 
FR 22619) that established the procedures used for making national 
coverage decisions. The April 27, 1999 notice also described the 
procedures we used to implement national coverage decisions. Under that 
section of the notice, we stated that if we chose to ``withdraw or 
reduce coverage for a service,'' we would publish the decision as a 
general notice in the Federal Register.
    This notice announces our decision to reduce Medicare coverage of 
certain 2-[F-18] Fluoro-D-Glucose (FDG) Positron Emission Tomography 
(PET) scanners. For those clinical indications already covered by 
Medicare before July 1, 2001, PET imaging must be performed on either 
FDA-approved full- or partial-ring scanners, or coincidence systems 
that have the following features:
     Crystal at least \5/8\-inch thick.
     Techniques to minimize or correct for scatter and/or 
randoms.
     Digital detectors and iterative reconstruction.
    Scans performed with gamma camera PET systems with crystals thinner 
than \5/8\-inch will not be covered. In addition, scans performed with 
systems with crystals greater than or equal to \5/8\-inch in thickness, 
which do not meet the other listed design characteristics, are not 
covered.

    Authority: Sections 1862, 1869(b)(3), and 1871 of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395y, 1395ff(b)(3), and 1395hh).

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93.773 Medicare--
Hospital Insurance Program; and No. 93.774, Medicare--Supplementary 
Medical Insurance Program)

    Dated: November 7, 2001.
Thomas A. Scully,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 01-28807 Filed 11-21-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P