Are you getting your share of the new screening funds made available earlier this year? Not only is this an excellent opportunity to earn some additional, incremental revenue, but there’s a chance to reach out and attract new patients and physicians as well.
Starting earlier this year, millions more Americans are able to get free preventive care, including hearing-loss tests for newborn babies, depression screenings for adolescents and bone-density scans for women at risk of osteoporosis. This according to a January 2011 Wall Street Journal article, which reports that nearly 80 percent of adults between the ages of 20 to 80 are candidates for at least one preventive test or service.
A provision was included in the new health law that requires Medicare and new health policies to fully cover 45 preventive screenings and services with no patient copayments or deductibles. This was created because of the growing concern that Americans aren’t getting the preventive care they need. These screenings are shown to be the most effective in early detection and prevention of disease. In addition to the tests and screenings mentioned above, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says additional tests and preventive measures include:
Diabetes: Adults with blood pressure above 135/80 should be screened for type 2 diabetes, even when there are no symptoms of disease.
Aneurysm: Men ages 65 to 75 who have smoked at any time in their lives should have a one-time ultrasound screening for possible abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Folic-acid supplements: Women planning to get pregnant are advised to take a daily folic-acid supplement of 0.4 mg to 0.8 mg.
Sexually transmitted infections: Those sexually active adolescents and adults at increased risk for sexually transmitted infections should receive high-intensity behavioral counseling to help prevent these diseases.
Dozens of tests are under review to determine whether current recommendations regarding effectiveness need revision. These include, oral, skin, ovarian, prostate and bladder cancer and the use of vitamin supplements in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.