WHITE ROCK, British Columbia, Canada--LED Dental Inc. has announced that the British Columbia Dental Association recently assigned a procedure code to oral cancer screenings that involve the direct fluorescence visualization technology utilized by its VELscope Oral Cancer Screening System.
Procedure code number 04403 allows insurance carriers to provide a reimbursement of $30 to policy holders who receive a VELscope system screening.
"This is great news, not only for LED Dental and the dental practices who own a VELscope system, but potentially for all adult residents of British Columbia," said David Cox, LED Dental president and chief operating officer. "Oral cancer kills one person every hour of every day in North America, and even those who survive the disease often end up severely disfigured. Moreover, oral cancer has now been linked with exposure to the sexually-transmitted human papilloma virus, which means that virtually all adults are potentially at risk for the disease. "Because of this, many health experts are recommending that all adults should have an oral cancer screening on at least an annual basis."
Cox called on insurance companies to take advantage of the new code and extend coverage for the screening to their policy holders.
"It is well known that people are much more likely to agree to a procedure if some or all of the cost is covered by their insurance company," he said. "The more people who are screened, the more suffering that can be prevented, and the more lives that can be saved."
A VELscope screening adds only two to three minutes to a conventional exam, and is completely free of pain and inconvenience for the patient.
A listing of the dental practices conducting VELscope system screenings can be found at LED Dental.
To read more about the VELscope system, go to VELscope.
