Dignitana announces American Medical Association reaffirms policy supporting scalp cooling

Dignitana AB reports that a policy in support of scalp cooling to minimize hair loss from chemotherapy induced alopecia was presented as a resolution and reaffirmed by the House of Delegates of the American Medical Association (AMA) at the group's Annual Meeting in Chicago this week.

The policy, Resolution 707: Insurance Coverage for Scalp Cooling (Cold Cap) Therapy, states that the AMA shall  “advocate for and seek through legislation and/or regulation, universal insurance coverage for Scalp Cooling (Cold Cap) Therapy” and directs that the AMA “work with consumer and advocacy groups to challenge insurers on medical necessity denials for Scalp Cooling (Cold Cap) Therapy and encourage appeals to independent third-party reviewers.”

“Reimbursement for scalp cooling is a top priority for Dignitana, and we appreciate this signal of support from the largest physician organization in the United States,” said Dignitana CEO Catarina Mård Löwenadler. “Scalp cooling is evidence-based, recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN), and now supported by the AMA as well.  Scalp cooling should become standard of care with universal insurance coverage so that any cancer patient who wishes to minimize hair loss from chemotherapy has access to this life-changing treatment.”

The House of Delegates (HOD) is the legislative and policy-making body of the American Medical Association. State medical associations and national medical specialty societies (such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology) are represented in the HOD along with other medical organizations.

Resolution 707 was introduced to the AMA by the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSSNY) after that group approved a similar resolution in May 2021.

In reaffirming current policy in relation to Resolution 707, the AMA referenced six existing AMA policies that lend support to coverage of this therapy: Strategies to Address Rising Health Care Costs H-155.960; Aligning Clinical and Financial Incentives for High-Value Care D-185.979; Medical Necessity and Utilization Review H-320.942; Managed Care H-285.998; Medical Necessity Determinations H-320.995; and  Status Report on the Uninsured H-185.964.

Patented in 1998 and FDA cleared since 2015, The DigniCap® Scalp Cooling System offers patients the ability to minimize hair loss during chemotherapy with clinically superior efficacy, patient comfort and demonstrated safety. DigniCap is available at about 300 cancer centers in the U.S. and in 40 countries worldwide.