Genetic Counseling Requirement Effective Jan. 1, 2016
October 27, 2015Effective Jan. 1, 2016, UnitedHealthcare commercial members with medical necessity benefit plans will be required to receive genetic counseling before UHC will approve prior authorization requests for testing for BReast CAncer (BRCA) mutations for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Genetic counseling, which is recommended by the United States Preventive Services Tasks Force as well as the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), will help members understand if the test is right for them as well as help them interpret the results after testing. The counseling can be done over the phone or in an office setting. All care providers administering the BRCA laboratory test will be required to show evidence that the requirement has been fulfilled in order to receive prior authorization for the test. The genetic counseling must be administered by an independent genetics care provider who is not employed by a genetic testing lab.