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Medicare News
Osteoporosis Foundation Pushes Bill to Stop Medicare
Cuts for Testing
Group says reimbursement for DXA test will save
Medicare $1.14 billion over five years
 Nov. 26, 2007 – The National Osteoporosis
Foundation has issued a news release in support of a House bill (H.R.
4206), which the group says calls for the reversal of drastic cuts in
Medicare reimbursement for Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry, DXA, the
imaging procedure "accepted as the gold standard" for diagnosing
osteoporosis.
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Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV) and 41
cosponsors introduced the "Medicare Fracture Prevention and Osteoporosis
Testing Act of 2007," which they say will protect patient access to
osteoporosis testing and reduce the physical and economic burden of
osteoporosis for millions of Americans.
This legislation builds on federal initiatives
already in place to increase fracture prevention efforts and improve the
prevention, detection and treatment of osteoporosis, according to NOF.
Medicare reimbursement for DXA has been cut to
levels substantially below the cost to perform the procedure, says the
NOF news release. As a result, many physicians, clinics and mobile
services around the country are discontinuing this critical health
service - greatly reducing the public's access to the test and
jeopardizing patients' quality of care.
This creates unnecessary barriers for those who
cannot take the time for multiple healthcare provider visits and poses a
serious threat to the frail and elderly who cannot travel long
distances, particularly those living in rural areas.
"According to estimates," the NPO says, "less than
14 percent of those who are eligible are being tested for osteoporosis;
by passing this bill we can prevent this number from plunging even
lower."
"In the U.S. today, one in two women and one in
four men 50 and over will break a bone due to osteoporosis. We need
Congress to pass this legislation in order to assure that access to
testing is preserved and that those at risk of devastating and costly
fractures are diagnosed and properly treated to prevent fractures," said
Ethel Siris, M.D., president of the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
A recent study completed by The Lewin Group finds
that restoring DXA reimbursement to the 2006 levels will save the
Medicare program $1.14 billion over five years due to the reduced number
of osteoporotic fractures, reports NOF.
DXA is a key tool in identifying those at risk for
osteoporosis and helping those with the disease monitor their bone
health. It is a recognized, reliable tool for preventing and reducing
costly fractures, which account for $18 million in national costs of
direct care and are projected to increase by 50 percent over the next
two decades, reaching $25.3 billion in 2025.
Osteoporosis now causes an estimated 2 million
fractures each year and often results in immobility, pain, placement in
a nursing home, isolation and other health problems - conditions and
circumstances that could largely be prevented through proper bone
density testing and diagnosis.
NOF is also asking Congress to pass this bill and
support access to care for the 10 million individuals with osteoporosis
and the 34 million individuals estimated to have low bone mass across
the country.
Established in 1984, the National Osteoporosis
Foundation is the nation's leading voluntary health organization solely
dedicated to osteoporosis and bone health. Its mission is to prevent
osteoporosis and related fractures, to promote lifelong bone health, to
help improve the lives of those affected by osteoporosis, and to find a
cure through programs of awareness, advocacy, public and health
professional education and research. For more information on
osteoporosis and bone health, contact NOF online at
http://www.nof.org/ or by telephone (800) 231-4222.
Source: National Osteoporosis Foundation
http://www.nof.org/
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