Proposed Bill to Protect Patient Access to Osteoporosis Testing by Reversing Cuts in Medicare Rei... ( Study finds reimbursement for DXA...)

Proposed Bill to Protect Patient Access to Osteoporosis Testing by Reversing Cuts in Medicare Reimbursement

Date:11/26/2007

Study finds reimbursement for DXA test will save Medicare $1.14 billion over five years

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an effort to protect patient access to osteoporosis testing and reduce the physical and economic burden of osteoporosis for millions of Americans, Congress introduced H.R. 4206 "Medicare Fracture Prevention and Osteoporosis Testing Act of 2007," sponsored by Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-1st-NV) and supported by 41 original cosponsors. The bill 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. This legislation builds on federal initiatives already in place to increase fracture prevention efforts and improve the prevention, detection and treatment of osteoporosis.

Medicare reimbursement for DXA has been cut to levels substantially below the cost to perform the procedure. 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, 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 th
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