Cancer Screenings for Medicaid Patients Miss Targets

(HealthDay News) -- Screening rates for colorectal, breast and cervical cancer among older Medicaid patients are below national objectives, a new study suggests.

The researchers looked at 1,951 North Carolina Medicaid recipients aged 50 and older. "Documentation that colorectal, breast and cervical cancer screening was recommended by the primary-care provider was found for only 52.7 percent, 60.4 percent and 51.5 percent of eligible patients, respectively," wrote Dr. C. Annette DuBard, of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues.

"Documented rates of adequate screening were 28.2 percent for colorectal cancer, 31.7 percent for mammography within two years and 31.6 percent for Papanicolaou [cervical cancer] test within three years. When medical record and claims data were combined, approximately half of eligible patients had evidence of screening."

These rates are substantially lower than in the general population.

"Lack of screening recommendation by the physician, rather than patient refusal of recommended tests, accounted for most instances of screening delinquency," the researchers concluded. "Efforts to increase cancer screening rates among Medicaid recipients must address patient, physician and organizational barriers to the routine identification and delivery of preventive services."

The study was published in the Oct. 13 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The researchers noted that colorectal, breast and cervical cancer are potentially curable when treated early, and that eliminating disparities in screening is part of the U.S. government's Healthy People 2010 Plan.

"State Medicaid agencies are in a unique position to monitor and improve the quality of care received by some of the nation's most vulnerable citizens," the study authors wrote.

More information
The American Cancer Society has more about cancer screening.

Cervical cancer shot not always cost-effective

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- An expensive vaccine aimed at preventing cervical cancer makes sense for young teens when it comes to cost-effectiveness, but not for women in their 20s, contends a new report.

The vaccine against the HPV virus was licensed in 2006 for use in girls and women ages 9 to 26. Health officials recommend it for girls at age 11 or 12, and some doctors offer it to women in their 20s in "catch-up" vaccination campaigns.

The maker of the Gardasil vaccine, Merck & Co., also wants to market it to women ages 27 to 45, but so far the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has denied that request.

The government-funded study found the HPV vaccine is very cost-effective when given to girls at age 12, but raises questions about the value of pushing for vaccinating adults.

Two researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health did the study, one of the most sophisticated analyses of the issue so far. Results are in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

Gardasil is given in three doses over six months and costs about $375. It targets the two types of HPV, or human papillomavirus, believed to be responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases, and two other types that cause most genital warts. The virus spreads through sex.

Health officials say it's best to give the shots to girls at age 11 or 12, before they begin having sex. Some parents think that age is too young for a vaccination campaign against a sexually transmitted disease.

But that is when the shots make the most economic sense, the researchers found. Continue Reading >>