Medicare will pay the costs of brain imaging that uses a Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) drug to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease only for patients participating in approved clinical studies, regulators proposed.
There isn’t enough evidence to show the scan will benefit all people with dementia, though in some cases it may help diagnose whether a patient has Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said today in its proposed coverage decision. Medicare, the U.S. health plan for the elderly and disabled, will reimburse patients for a scan if they are part of an approved clinical trial for the prevention, treatment or better diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, the agency said.
