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Less Invasive Liver Test Coming for Oregon Patients

The test could help hepatitis C patients get access to medications
September 10, 2015

Patients with chronic hepatitis C will soon have access to a less invasive test for liver problems that could help them qualify for new medications.

Called a liver elastography, it’s similar to an ultrasound, it can determine whether someone has liver disease in a less invasive manner than a liver biopsy, said Ariel Smits, medical director of the state’s Health Evidence Review Commission. “It can give you a sense if there’s cirrhosis,” Such testing has been around for a few years but health experts are just now understanding how to best use it.

Liver biopsies carry risks such as bleeding, infection and pain, according to the Mayo Clinic. Though a liver biopsy can uncover more information, the elastography could be a better option for many patients, Smits said.

Currently, there are 16,200 Oregon Health Plan members with hepatitis C diagnoses, health officials said.

“We don't have numbers per patient, but we can identify the general differences for the professional/outpatient payments for actual elastograph and the needle biopsy procedure itself,” according to Stephanie Tripp, Oregon Health Authority spokeswoman. Based on comparing those two services, it appears that the reimbursement for a needle biopsy would be 5 times the reimbursement for the elastograph.

Dr. Wally Shaffer, medical director at DMAP, testified that “liver elastography is an essential part of the DMP hepatitis C medication PA algorithm, used to determine eligibility for certain high cost drugs.”

This new testing procedure also gives patients access to new medications without having to endure a liver biopsy, Smits said. Several new medications for hepatitis C are available, but patients need to be at a certain stage of the disease.

“If they have cirrhosis they are more likely to get these meds,” Smits said. “It’s a lot cheaper too.” The hope is that people who could benefit from these medications can now be identified at a lower cost. According to experts, there’s an 80 percent savings in using the liver elastography over the biopsy.

When the Health Services Review Commission approved the liver elastography testing in January, officials noted that the use of his type of testing is new but growing in the medical field. The only currently FDA approved liver elastography measurement device is called Fibroscan, according to Health Services Commission documents.

Shelby can be reached at [email protected].

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