Medicare to Pay for Obesity Screening and Counseling

CMS has announced Medicare is adding coverage for screening and counseling for obesity, according to a CMS news release.

Screening for obesity and counseling for eligible beneficiaries by primary care providers in settings such as physicians' offices are covered under this new benefit. For a beneficiary who screens positive for obesity with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2, the benefit would include one face-to-face counseling visit each week for one month and one face-to-face counseling visit every other week for an additional five months. The beneficiary may receive one face-to-face counseling visit every month for an additional six months (for a total of 12 months of counseling) if he or she has achieved a weight reduction of at least 6.6 pounds (or 3 kilograms) during the first six months of counseling.

"Obesity is a challenge faced by Americans of all ages, and prevention is crucial for the management and elimination of obesity in our country," said CMS Administrator Donald M. Berwick, MD, in the release. "It's important for Medicare patients to enjoy access to appropriate screening and preventive services."

Over 30 percent of both men and women in the Medicare population are estimated to be obese.

To read the final decision on the new national coverage determination, click here.

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