Insurers’ Genetic Counseling Requirements Impede Testing, ACOG Says

With increasing availability and surging demand for multi-gene panel tests for hereditary cancer, insurers are expanding requirements for pre-test counseling by a ‘genetics professional.’ The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says these requirements will markedly limit access to BRCA testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, particularly for patients in non-urban areas. In a position statement released in mid-December, ACOG reiterates its claim that board-certified obstetrician-gynecologists (ob-gyns) remain appropriate and qualified providers for pre-test counseling. "Ob-gyns around the country screen women for a variety of cancers every day," Mark DeFrancesco, M.D., ACOG’s president, said in a statement. "Ob-gyns know how to discuss the risk of cancer with their patients, and women are accustomed to having these important conversations with their ob-gyns. We are dedicated to ensuring that our patients receive the care they need, when they need it, and by physicians they trust." ACOG claims that historically the majority of BRCA testing has been ordered by ob-gyns and insurers’ requirements are restricting the scope of practice of ob-gyns. The group says the ‘genetics professional’ requirement imposes "unnecessary" and "not medically indicated" barriers to timely care. Furthermore, ACOG says its othposition statement is aligned with the American Medical Association…