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Bone Mineral Density (BMD) Testing
Bone Mineral Density (BMD) testing during a routine office exam. This type of test typically requires a visit to the hospital imaging center for a Central DEXA examination.
Physicians now have a front line diagnostic tool that will help them identify patients who may have low BMD and be at risk for osteoporotic fractures. Using a one minute procedure that scans the patient's hand, physicians can assess osteoporosis risk. This is critically important today, as osteoporosis was recently determined to be significantly underdiagnosed.
Background. The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that more than 10 million people in the United States have this disease and another 33 million are at risk for it. Over 1.5 million Americans are subjected to life threatening osteoporotic fractures every year.
20% of those who suffer hip fractures die from complications within a year; 60% become dependent on constant help in their daily lives. It is not strictly a women's disease, though 85% of victims are women.
Testing. There are several Bone Mineral Density (BMD) testing systems available that are appropriate for screening for Osteoporosis. In the past, when a physician decided that a BMD assessment should be made, the patient most likely would have been referred to an imaging center for a Central DEXA examination. Now, an FDA-approved 1-minute BMD test could be performed in a regular office setting. MetriScan testing estimates relative bone mineral density in the middle phalanges (finger bones) of the hand. A relative score comparing your BMD to that of an appropriate reference group is generated. Many studies conducted during the last ten years by the most respected organizations worldwide have shown that the BMD measurement of phalanges is an excellent predictor of fracture due to osteoporosis (Identification and Fracture Outcomes of Undiagnosed Low Bone Mineral Density in postmenopausal Women. Journal of the American MedicalAssociation, December 12, 2001 Vol 286, No.22).
Test Results are printed for a patient and/or could be emailed electronically. A score of greater than -1 means BMD is in the normal range, between -2.5 and -1 means osteopenia is developing (low BMD, but not osteoporosis), less than -2.5 indicates osteoporosis. The results could be discussed with the patient for appropriate lifestyle changes to reduce the osteoporosis risk or for more extensive medical follow-up along with an appropriate pharmaceutical drug regimen.
Medicare (CPT code 77083) and most other insurances cover BMD testing.
BMD MetriScan Brochure | Video | Presentation | WHITE Paper
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