Severing the Link Between Coverage Policy and the US Preventive Services Task Force Severing the Coverage Policy–USPSTF Link

Woolf SH, Campos-Outcalt D. — Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Concern is growing over a potential flaw in the Affordable Care Act (ACA): the mandate to offer first-dollar coverage for all preventive services that receive A and B recommendations from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The USPSTF, an independent panel established during the Reagan administration in 1984, is composed of clinicians who specialize in the critical appraisal of evidence and make recommendations on clinical preventive services that are graded by the strength of the evidence: A and B recommendations when there is compelling evidence that benefits outweigh harms, C recommendations when the net benefit is modest, D recommendations when there is evidence of net harm or no benefit, and I statements when there is insufficient evidence to make a recommendation.

From JAMA ’s Daily News Site

Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Lung Cancer Screening

Boiselle PM, Lynm C, Livingston EH. — Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Lung cancer is the international leading cause of cancer deaths. Tobacco use is the principal risk factor for lung cancer and accounts for at least 85% of all lung cancers. Until recently, no screening test had been shown to be effective in reducing deaths associated with this disease.

JAMA: Cancer Screening Topic Collection

Severing the Link Between Coverage Policy and the US Preventive Services Task Force Severing the Coverage Policy–USPSTF Link

From JAMA ’s Daily News Site

Lung Cancer Screening