Campaign raising awareness about technology to help predict risk of broken bones
American Bone Health has partnered with Medimaps Group to present a public education campaign called “DXA + TBS: A Closer Look.” The campaign is raising awareness among consumers and health care providers about how Trabecular Bone Score (TBS) technology can enhance the ability of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to predict who is at risk for broken bones. The goal of the campaign is to help consumers and their health care providers make better decisions for bone health. Campaign materials are available here. They include:
- An informative article on how TBS measures bone quality to help assess fracture risk.
- A downloadable list of questions to ask your health care provider about creating a bone health plan.
DXA is the gold standard in testing for osteoporosis, a condition in which the bones become weak and more likely to break. This test checks bone mineral density at a few places on the body and gives the consumer a “T-score.” This T-score expresses your bone mass, or bone quantity, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. TBS software analyzes the DXA image to take a closer look at the internal structure of the spine bones and assess bone quality.
Bone quality is important to understanding your risk of breaking a bone. Various factors can affect bone quality and contribute to your risk of breaking a bone, including:
- Medical conditions like diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and other auto-immune inflammatory diseases, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, or chronic kidney disease.
- Medicines like corticosteroids that treat arthritis, Crohn’s disease, or lupus.
- Smoking or vaping.
- Having more than two alcoholic drinks a day.
- A sedentary lifestyle, or long periods of bed rest.
Knowing your bone quality means you can talk to your health care provider about making a bone health plan. Your health care provider can give you steps to take to strengthen your bones, including starting a medicine if necessary.
In October 2020, the CPT Editorial Panel accepted the addition of codes to report TBS procedures for January 1, 2022. This means that health care providers will be able to seek reimbursement for the cost of performing and reporting TBS, incentivizing them to apply this technology to their patients’ DXA scans and help determine treatment options. The code and reimbursable payment amount will be published in June 2021.
“TBS adds value to a DXA scan by assessing bone quality in addition to bone density so you get a fuller picture of your risk of breaking a bone,” says Cheryl Hostinak, Executive Director of American Bone Health. “Think about your heart: If you want to know your risk of a heart attack, you need to know more than just your total cholesterol score. How much of it is ‘good’ cholesterol vs. ‘bad’ cholesterol? Do you have diabetes or high blood pressure? Are you obese? It’s the same way with your bones – if you have more information, you can make better decisions on treatment.”
TBS is registered by the FDA for clinical use in the U.S. More than 450 testing centers in the United States offer TBS along with DXA scans. For people who have already had a DXA scan and would like to follow up with TBS, manufacturers recommend they go to the same testing center for another scan.
“We encourage consumers to ask their health care providers how they can access DXA + TBS to get a closer look at their bone health,” Hostinak says. “Whether or not you’ve already had a DXA, this technology can help you better understand your risk so you can take steps to avoid life-changes fractures and maintain your health and independence.”
About American Bone Health
American Bone Health is a national, community-based organization that teaches people how to build and keep strong and healthy bones for life with practical and up-to-date information and resources to inspire them to prevent bone loss, osteoporosis and fractures. Learn more at americanbonehealth.org and @ambonehealth.
