Healthcare providers and insurers have different viewpoints on whether patients should be required to see a certified genetic counselor or someone with similar training prior to tests for breast cancer, reports Kaiser Health News.
Here are three takeaways on the issue.
- Obstetrician-gynecologists believe they are competent to counsel patients about hereditary cancers of the breast, ovaries, uterus and other reproductive organs, as it is a normal practice for them, according to the article. Mark DeFrancesco, MD, the immediate past president of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, argues that requiring patients to see a genetic counselor prior to tests could delay testing, and patients may decide not to go through with the tests.
- Insurers have varying rules on the issue. UnitedHealthcare and Cigna won't approve coverage for tests that look for mutations in two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, which increase the risk for breast, ovarian and other cancers, unless the patient receives counseling by a certified genetic counselor or other professional trained in cancer genetics, according to the article.
- Lee Newcomer, MD, senior vice president for oncology and genetics at UnitedHealthcare, told Kaiser Health News physicians may do the counseling if they attest they're qualified for the task. Jeffrey Hankoff, MD, Cigna's medical officer for clinical performance and quality, told the publication the insurer generally requires additional training for physicians for them to meet its counseling requirement.
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