Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Media Relations >
  • News Releases >
  • 101018 ThyroSeq Approved for Medicare Coverage
Media Relations
News Releases
Central Pa. News
North Central Pa. News
Contact Us
Experts
Community-Focused News
Media Kits
Media RSS
Media Relations
News Releases
Central Pa. News
North Central Pa. News
Contact Us
Experts
Community-Focused News
Media Kits
Media RSS

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

ThyroSeq Test Approved for Medicare Coverage to Improve Thyroid Nodule Diagnosis

For Journalists

Allison Hydzik
Director, Science and Research
412-647-9975
hydzikam@upmc.edu

Want to Make an Appointment or Need Patient Information?
Contact UPMC at

1-800-533-8762.

Go to Find a Doctor to search for a UPMC doctor.

UPMC color stacked

10/10/2018

PITTSBURGH – A UPMC-developed test for diagnosis of thyroid nodules, ThyroSeq® Genomic Classifier, has been approved for coverage by its Medicare Administrative Contractor, Novitas Solutions. This decision paves the way for the test to be accessible to more than 50 million Medicare patients nationwide.

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped, two-lobe gland in the front of the neck that produces hormones to regulate metabolic rate, among other things. Most thyroid nodules are benign, and, even when they’re cancerous, they’re usually very slow-growing. According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 54,000 people are diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the U.S. each year. 

“We are excited by this insurance coverage decision," said Marina Nikiforova, M.D., professor of pathology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director of the UPMC Molecular & Genomic Pathology Laboratory where the test is performed. “Our test allows patients who don’t actually have cancer to avoid unnecessary surgery and preserve their thyroid function, saving them from a lifetime of synthetic thyroid medications and specialist visits. It is incredibly rewarding to finally offer ThyroSeq to patients nationwide and have it covered by Medicare.”

ThyroSeq is an innovative next-generation sequencing-based test that provides comprehensive genomic profiling of thyroid nodules using a small sample of cells. Its highly accurate performance in diagnosing thyroid cancer or benign disease can help to prevent diagnostic thyroid surgeries performed when physicians are not sure if a nodule is malignant, providing cost-effective patient care and saving health care resources. 

As reported in the journal Health Affairs, among patients with all cancers, thyroid cancer patients have one of the highest incidences of bankruptcy filing. An independent analysis by Mayo Clinic researchers that was recently reported in the scientific journal Endocrine Practice found that ThyroSeq testing saved thousands of dollars compared to when patients were treated with diagnostic thyroid surgery.  

Novitas Solutions determined that ThyroSeq is considered reasonable and medically necessary for patients with indeterminate cytology on fine-needle aspiration biopsy. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services relies on a network of Medicare Administrative Contractors, like Novitas Solutions, to serve as the primary operational contact between the Medicare Fee-For-Service program and the health care providers enrolled in the program.

“This decision by Medicare is very important for clinicians like me who see many patients with thyroid nodules,” said Sally Carty, M.D., professor of surgery in Pitt’s School of Medicine and chief of UPMC’s Endocrine Surgery Program. “In the past, an indeterminate cytology result for a thyroid nodule would lead to a patient undergoing surgery to remove at least half of his or her thyroid. Today, we can rely on the result from ThyroSeq to spare many patients from unnecessary surgery or determine the most informed treatment decisions for patients with cancer.”
UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login