Does anyone know if Medicare pays for DEXA scans? I'm also wondering if they would pay for the follow-up comparison scans every year or two for trending one's progress (or lack thereof).
I'm planning to retire next year at 68, and it's going to be a winter project I guess to learn my way through the maze of medicare part B, medigap insurance, and of course the infamous part D for meds.
Tom
Hi Tom: Yes Medicare pays for dxa's. Usually you can only get it every 2 years, unless there is a medical necessity to get it sooner. If you have any questions about medigap, part B and D just ask. It might be a good idea to have the NCD (National Coverage Determinations) available to read, since it tells you a lot more than the Medicare manual. I'll post the link below for the site. You can look up every test that Medicare pays for and the frequency. You can also have a bone marker test in between dxa's if your Dr wants to know how the drug is working. Click on Paper Based Manuals below and pick the topic you want to look up. Copy and paste the link!!! it keeps breaking.
Good luck...
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/Manuals/IOM/itemdetail.asp?filterType=none&filterByD ID=-99&sortByDID=1&sortOrder=ascending&itemID=CMS014961
Thank you Windblown! That's a lot of good info, and I've downloaded it already.
Tom
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