Original Medicare (Parts A & B): Lung Cancer Screenings
Screening for qualified persons. The effects of smoking or exposure to environmental pollutants or workplace toxins may appear many years later.
How To Receive
Details on how to apply
Obtain a provider order for an LDCT during a lung cancer screening counseling and shared-decision-making visit (cannot be scheduled within another visit, it must be a visit specific to lung cancer screening).
Schedule the scan at a hospital or imaging facility that accepts Medicare.
Attend the appointment and complete the scan.
Engage in recommended follow-up treatment and/or referrals.
For more information on Medicare benefits and coverage, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or visit the Medicare Benefits Website. TTY users, call 1-877-486-2048.
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Lung cancer screening is essential for current and past smokers—especially those who still smoke, but including those who have stopped smoking, even if they stopped many years ago. A long history of smoking still puts them at risk of developing lung cancer.
If you or your loved one meet all of the following conditions, you are eligible to receive lung cancer screening using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT).
Aged 50–77
No signs or symptoms of lung cancer
Have a smoking history of a least 20 pack-years (an average of one pack or 20 cigarettes per day for 20 years)
Currently smoke or who have quit smoking within the last 15 years
Have an order from their provider
LDCT has been proven to reduce the number of deaths from lung cancer in patients at high risk. LDCT is a CT scan that can produce images of high enough quality to detect lung cancer while using up to 90% less ionizing radiation than a conventional CT scan of the chest.
Before the first screening, you or your loved one must schedule an appointment with a provider to discuss the benefits and risks of lung cancer screenings. The initial LDCT order must be made during a lung cancer screening counseling and shared decision-making visit (i.e., it cannot be during just any visit, it must be a visit for this specific purpose).
For LDCT screenings after the initial screening, a written order for LDCT by a provider is required, which may be furnished during any appropriate visit.
