Medicare won't pay for 'virtual' colonoscopy

Medicare won't pay for colon cancer screening tests that use CT scanners, saying there is insufficient evidence to show the procedures improved the health of people age 65 or older.

The use of CT for so-called virtual colonoscopies has been supported by the American Cancer Society, the American College of Radiology and the American College of Gastroenterology.

In a traditional colonoscopy, a black tube with a tiny camera is threaded through the colon to allow doctors to view lesions, according to the Mayo Clinic Web site. The tests can be uncomfortable, costly and carry some risk. The virtual version of the exam, known as computed tomographic colonography, is less invasive and uncomfortable because it is performed mostly outside the body.

"While it is a promising technology, many questions on the use of CT colonography need to be answered with well designed clinical studies that focus on health outcomes for the Medicare population," the agency said in a decision posted on its Web site.

A top official of the American Cancer Society said that group disagreed with the federal agency's decision. Clinical studies "clearly show CT colonograpy is as effective as optical colonoscopy for the early detection of early cancers and premalignant lesions," said Otis Brawley, the society's chief medical officer, in a statement.