CCH offers low-dose CT lung screenings
12/1/2020
One of the best ways people can keep themselves healthy is to stay up-to-date on all of their necessary screenings.
Columbus Community Hospital offers a variety of screenings to help area residents stay healthy, including low-dose CT lung screenings.
These screenings use minimal radiation to provide a detailed image of patients’ lungs. CCH offers low-dose CT lung screenings for qualified people who are at-risk of developing lung cancer but are asymptomatic.
People with symptoms that would suggest concern for lung cancer, such as abnormal weight loss and coughing up blood would, would not qualify for these screenings. However, people with chronic or productive cough or shortness of breath would qualify for the screenings since these are symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in general and not necessarily lung cancer.
To qualify for these screenings, patients must be:
- • Referred by their physician
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• Between the ages of 55 and 77 years old
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• A current smoker or someone who has quit smoking within the past 15 years and has a smoking history of at least 30 pack-years
These screenings are done by CCH’s diagnostic imaging department. They only take about five minutes but they could have an important impact on people’s health.
“If you are a smoker or were a smoker, screening your lungs for cancer is important,” said Denise Tomek, director of radiology at CCH. “The earlier you find cancer, the more treatable it is.”
Some commercial insurance plans will cover these screenings as part of patients’ wellness plans and Medicare also pays for this service. Patients should contact their insurance providers to determine the exact cost of services for them.
For more information about these screenings, people should talk to their physicians or call the diagnostic imaging department at 402-562-3180. More information is also available at
www.shouldiscreen.com.