Hackensack Meridian Health is now offering telehealth lung cancer screenings, the Edison, N.J.-based health system announced April 26.
"Ever since the pandemic began, we're finding that more and more patients are utilizing telehealth visits with their regular physician," said Nabil Pierre Rizk, MD, chief of thoracic surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center. "We're pleased to now be able to offer this service for lung cancer screenings as well in a convenient and comprehensive way."
To be eligible for screening, a person must:
- Be a former smoker who has quit within the past 15 years
- Be aged 55-80
- Have no symptoms of lung cancer
- Have at least a 30-pack-year history, meaning they smoked two packs per day for 15 years, or people who smoked one pack per day for 30 years are eligible for screening
Patients who qualify first undergo a telehealth visit followed by an in-person CT scan.
To read more, click here.