German outpatient PET (positron emission tomography) decision slammed
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
A recent decision by the German federal committee of doctors and sickness funds to exclude positron emission tomography (PET) from the catalogue of reimbursable procedures for outpatients has been strongly criticised by the German society for nuclear medicine (DGN). Each scan costs E800-1000 ($707-883) and the committee believes this is too expensive. It also claims that the outcome of a PET scan cannot positively influence a decision on what therapy is necessary. In addition to this, PET is still at the research stage, it says.