ACR Supports Safeguard Access to Preventative Services Act
March 9, 2010 – Washington, DC – The American College of Radiology (ACR) strongly supports the Safeguard Access to Preventative Services Act (H.R. 4794) which would prohibit the use of any recommendation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (or any successor task force) by private or public health insurers to deny or restrict coverage of a health care item or service. The bill was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) and three original cosponsors on March 9, 2010.
“This legislation would help ensure that the recommendations of a small group of individuals, who may not have expertise in the subject on which they are making critical judgments, cannot be used as an excuse to cut costs at the expense of patients. We have seen recently in the case of the Task Force’s deeply flawed mammography recommendations, that run counter to the expert guidance of the American Cancer Society, American College of Radiology (ACR) and Society of Breast Imaging, USPSTF actions are not always correct. Policy decisions based on faulty recommendations may result in the unnecessary loss of thousands of lives. The USPSTF process needs to be fundamentally changed in order to make sure that patients get the care they need,” said James H. Thrall, MD, FACR, chair of the ACR Board of chancellors.
The USPSTF is a panel funded and staffed by the HHS Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) gave the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services the authority to consider USPSTF recommendations in Medicare coverage determinations. At present, private insurers may also incorporate the USPSTF recommendations as a cost-savings measure.
“Simply allowing a small group of people, who may or may not have expertise in the particular subject matter, to publish periodic recommendations in a medical journal or via a web posting, and have those recommendations serve as health coverage policy is unacceptable and potentially dangerous. The USPSTF process must be changed. This bill is a significant step in a sensible direction,” said Thrall.
For more information or to arrange an interview with an ACR spokesperson, please contact ACR Director of Public Affairs Shawn Farley at 703-648-8936 or sfarley@acr-arrs.org.
