Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) bone density testing among Medicare beneficiaries declined 35.4% from 2005 to 2023, according to a study published Aug. 6 in Osteoporosis International.
Researchers from Madison-based University of Wisconsin, Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania Health System, Washington, D.C.-based Georgetown University and the Neiman Health Policy Institute found that minority populations experienced greater declines in DXA utilization than the national decline.
The repeated cross-sectional study was conducted over 19 years using 5% Medicare fee-for-service claims from 2005 to 2023. The study included 5,243,098 unique beneficiaries, of whom 23.2% had at least one DXA.
Annual DXA use per 100,000 beneficiaries declined from 7,255 in 2005 to 4,690 in 2023. Hispanic beneficiaries had the largest percentage decrease in adjusted odds of DXA utilization, falling 35.3% from an adjusted odds ratio of 0.93 in 2005 to 0.60 in 2023.
The researchers called for further study of factors associated with the disparities.
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