Has anyone ever been told by their parents PCP that it is harder to get PetScans and procedures done on patients over 75? My Dad is 80 soon to be 81 next month. He has been diagnosed with dementia and has diabetes. My Mom is 79 and has Parkinson’s and Dementia that is causing a lot of issues. A least she still knows who I am. I asked her PCP if she could schedule a PetScan for Mom because her Mom died of Bone cancer and my Mom has been in so much pain she hardly gets off the sofa these days. Her doctor told me no she couldn’t because it is frowned upon to do that on someone her age. I was struck speechless. And that was the end of our conversation. My Mom is a one year survivor of breast cancer. So what the heck? Does Medicare stop paying for somethings after 75 years old? I am their youngest daughter and caretaker. The medical world frustrates me!
And the answer is that yes, there are recommendations for tests and age. And in fact colonoscopies past age 75 not recommended under current guidelines either. You can look up guidelines online; just type in, for instance, "CDC guidelines colonoscopy".
Testing is very expensive, it often leads to a lot of anxiety and it often leads to false positives and further testing.
Both Dr. Dean Edell in his book Eat, Drink, and be Merry, and Barbara Ehrenreich in her book Natural Causes talk about the over testing and over treatment of the elderly in our country, and the torment it causes for them before they are allowed finally to be at peace. And of course the books of Dr. Atul Gawande including his Being Mortal, are not only famous but infamous.
As the only advocate now for people who cannot make these decisions for themselves I would consider carefully what you knew their decisions, when they were competent to make them, might have been. Hopefully you did discuss things with them at that time.
If you truly wish certain tests to be done, and there are SYMPTOMS that the doctor agrees could indicate a need for them, and you wish to be more aggressive in testing and treating rather than less, then revisit this with the doctor. It is my opinion that putting someone elderly through aggressive treatment for say a diagnosis of metastasis to the bones, is basically a torment, but we all have our own opinions; once educated about all contingencies, we have to make our own conclusions. For myself, in your cases and in your place, I would follow the PCP guidelines, but I am not you.
Medicare will only pay for a PET scan if it’s ordered by a dr and deemed medically necessary.
If you have questions or concerns about your mother's care or why certain tests are being disallowed, why not ask the doctor up front? She likely would have told you why the PET scan was 'frowned upon' and you would have had an answer! Be aggressive with these doctors! Get the answers you need, you're entitled to, and so is your mom!
Good luck!