April is National Minority Health Month. This year's theme, "Health Equity
Can't Wait. Act Now in Your CommUNITY!" is a call to action and unity for the
regions, the state and local offices of minority health, the health
departments, and all the organizations and partners involved and invested in
reducing health disparities. In general, low-income Americans and racial and
ethnic minorities experience disproportionately higher rates of disease, fewer
treatment options, and reduced access to care. Medicare now provides coverage
for a range of preventive services and screenings that help our most vulnerable
populations stay healthy and avoid getting certain diseases. And thanks to
provisions in the Affordable Care Act of 2010, more seniors and others with
Medicare can now take advantage of many recommended preventive services and
screenings from Medicare participating healthcare providers, without paying the
Medicare Part B deductible and/or coinsurance.
Medicare now provides payment for the following preventive services and
screenings, subject to certain beneficiary eligibility criteria:
* Annual Wellness Visit, providing Personalized Prevention Plan Services
* Bone Mass Measurement
* Cancer Screenings
* Breast Cancer (mammography and clinical breast exam)
* Cervical and Vaginal Cancer (pap test and pelvic exam, including the
clinical breast exam)
* Prostate cancer (PSA blood test and Digital Rectal Exam)
* Colorectal Cancer
§ Fecal Occult Blood Test
§ Flexible Sigmoidoscopy
§ Colonoscopy
§ Barium Enema
* Cardiovascular Disease Screening
* Diabetes Screening
* Diabetes Self-Management Training
* Glaucoma Screening
* Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Screening
* Immunizations (Seasonal Influenza, Pneumococcal, and Hepatitis B)
* Initial Preventive Physical Examination (IPPE), also known as the "Welcome
to Medicare" Preventive Visit (may include a referral, if appropriate, for an
ultrasound screening for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm for eligible beneficiaries)
* Intensive Behavioral Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease - Effective Tue
Nov 8, 2011
* Intensive Behavioral Therapy for Obesity - Effective Tue Nov 29, 2011
* Medical Nutrition Therapy (for beneficiaries with diabetes or renal
disease)
* Screening and Behavioral Counseling Interventions in Primary Care to
Reduce Alcohol Misuse - Effective Fri Oct 14, 2011
* Screening for Depression in Adults - Effective Fri Oct 14, 2011
* Screening for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and High-Intensity
Behavioral Counseling (HIBC) to prevent STIs - Effective Tue Nov 8, 2011
* Tobacco-Use Cessation Counseling
For More Information:
* CMS Prevention website<http://www.cms.gov/PrevntionGenInfo/01_Overview.asp>
* Medicare Learning Network® (MLN) Preventive Services Educational Products
<http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/PreventiveServices.html>
* Quick Reference Information: Medicare Preventive
Services<http://www.cms.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/MPS_QuickReferenceChart_1.pdf>
* Medicare Coverage
Database<http://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/overview-and-quick-search.aspx>
* CMS National Provider Calls and
Events<http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/NPC/National-Provider-Calls-and-Events.html>
* Office of Minority Health website <http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/>
Together we can help to eliminate health disparities and achieve optimal health
for all racial and ethnic groups.
________________________________
CMS.gov Website Upgrade
CMS is in the process of making upgrades to the www.CMS.gov<http://www.CMS.gov>
website. We appreciate your understanding and apologize for any inconvenience.
________________________________
Note: If you have problems accessing any hyperlink in this message, please
copy and paste the URL into your Internet browser.
If you know someone who would like to subscribe to a Medicare Fee-For-Service
(FFS) provider listserv, go to
(http://www.cms.gov/prospmedicarefeesvcpmtgen/downloads/Provider_Listservs.pdf).
If you would like to unsubscribe from a specific provider listserv, please go
to (https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa.exe?INDEX) to unsubscribe or to leave the
appropriate listserv.
Please DO NOT respond to this email. This email is a service of CMS and routed
through an electronic mail server to communicate Medicare policy and
operational changes and/or updates. Responses to this email are not routed to
CMS personnel. Inquiries may be sent by going to
(http://www.cms.gov/ContactCMS). Thank you.
