US CMS Opens Medicare National Coverage Analysis For NGS Germline Mutation Tests

The CMS opened a national coverage analysis tracking sheet on 29 April to reconsider evidence for next-generation sequencing tests of germline mutations. These assays identify beneficiaries with hereditary cancer who may benefit from targeted treatments based on the tests’ conclusions about carcinogenic genetic mutations passed on by patients’ parents.

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The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said on 29 April that it is considering reimbursement of next-generation sequencing tests that can pinpoint cancer-causing germline mutations in a beneficiary and help provide personalized therapies to treat cancers.

“It is important that tests detect somatic (cancer) and germline (inherited) mutations accurately and produce valid results that are useful in guiding therapies to improve outcomes for patients with cancer,”...

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