The National Oncologic PET Registry

The Centers for Medicare \& Medicaid Services (CMS), as the Federal agency that administers the Medicare program, only pays for positron emission tomography (PET) scans in patients with cancer for certain reasons and for certain types of cancer. This study was developed to help CMS determine if they should pay for PET scans for additional reasons and additional types of cancer. In order to collect the information needed to decide which other types of cancer should be covered by Medicare, CMS will provide payment for the otherwise non-covered PET scans of patients who are properly registered with the National Oncologic PET Registry (NOPR). This information will then be analyzed to determine the effect PET scans had on the way physicians planned to treat their patients.