The Increasing Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act would set a $98 floor for Medicare reimbursement for the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) bone density test.
Targeted Vertebral Fracture Assessment
A Canadian study sought to identify individuals at high fracture risk and provide them with pharmacotherapy to prevent fractures. They found the assessment of hip and lumbar dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans for vertebral fracture can be useful in the identification of women and men aged 70 years and older who should qualify for anti-osteoporosis treatment…
ACR Pushes for Increased DXA Reimbursement
Broken hips are among the most serious injuries incurred by older adults, and many fractures are preventable. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 300,000 people over the age of 65 are hospitalized each year for hip fractures, with women (who have lower bone density than men) experiencing three-quarters of all…
Advocates for Arthritis Push for Policy Changes at Annual Event
The ACR advocates on behalf of the rheumatology community throughout the year, but it’s always especially exciting when patients join our efforts in Washington, D.C. Close to 100 patients, rheumatologists and representatives of the broader interprofessional team traveled to our nation’s capital this week to participate in the ACR’s annual Advocates for Arthritis event. Participants…
Advocates for Arthritis Fly-In Event Benefits Rheumatology Patients
Pendaar Pooyan was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in elementary school. He learned to ask for what he needed: use of a computer in class because of wrist pain and a locker that didn’t require him to bend down so far. And he learned to talk about his disease. This helped make participating for…