Medicare will cover annual lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography in high-risk patients, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced last week.

To be covered, beneficiaries must meet the following conditions:

• be asymptomatic and aged 55 to 77;
• be either currently smoking or have stopped smoking within the past 15 years;
• have a smoking history of 30 or more pack-years;
• have a written order from a clinician obtained during a lung cancer screening counseling and shared decision-making visit, which includes information on the procedure’s risks and benefits.