Survey - Discussion Reply

Hello Community Members, please don't forget about taking the survey. The following information is in response to the posts in the "Have you taken survey" discussion. Please keep in mind the goal of the survey is for NOF to identify who is/will be affected by the cuts, so that Congress can be shown the real impact of the policy. Concerned community members can contact their legislators directly. The NOF website can help identify legislators and how to call/contact the office. An e-mail message can also be sent from the NOF website. Many members of Congress are engaged; there is more than 100 cosponsors in the House and 13 in the Senate. This means that more than 110 Representatives and Senators support the bill addressing the cuts and lend their name to the bill. But people with osteopenia/osteoporosis can make a difference by sharing our stories and our personal experiences with this disease.
As part of containing Medicare costs, Congress did consider lowering reimbursement rates for imaging services like DXA as a disincentive for doctors/patients to use DXA. DXA got lumped in with things like MRIs. The idea was not "shelved" and since 2006 reinbursement rates for DXA have gone down 50% and a new cut will go into effect next year. Many physicians claim that the reimbursement rate does not cover the costs of doing the DXA.
There is a study that shows that increased DXA use can lead to savings. A study was done and conducted by a doctor and team at Southern California Kaisers where it was demonstrated that prevention worked and saved Kaiser money. The study documents how increased coordinated efforts by physicians at Kaiser for recognizing risk factors for osteoporosis and follow-up for diagnosis and treatment led to less fractures and in turn less costs. I met the doctor at a meeting in California last December and was very impressed by the passion and focus shown for patients with this disease. Please give some serious thought to supporting NOF and participating in the survey. Thank you. Sandi