Exact Sciences Corp. (NASDAQ: EXAS), a leading provider of cancer screening and diagnostic tests, supports recent policy changes that help increase access to recommended non-invasive colorectal cancer screening tests. These policy changes require Medicare and most commercial insurers to pay for colonoscopy after a positive Cologuard® test without cost to the patient. For most patients, these financial protections take effect starting January 1, 2023.
Exact Sciences is the maker of Cologuard, an FDA-approved, noninvasive stool-based DNA and hemoglobin screening test for adults 45 and older who are at average risk for colorectal cancer (CRC). Since its launch in 2014, more than 10 million Cologuard tests have been completed, allowing patients to provide screening samples in the privacy of their homes. Recent data from Exact Sciences, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, found that eliminating patient cost sharing for follow-up colonoscopy can lead to positive shifts in test use patterns, increase overall participation rates, and improve both economic and clinical outcomes.[i]
“This is a huge win for our patients. This change will help providers address a major CRC screening gap for people who were previously burdened by the cost of a follow-up colonoscopy,” said Dr. David Lieberman, gastroenterologist, and chairperson of the American Gastroenterological Association committee on CRC screening. “We know disparities exist in CRC screening. There are data which show that when we increase access to colorectal cancer screening and help navigate patients needing a follow-up colonoscopy after a non-invasive screening test, those disparities are greatly reduced.”
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