Diagnosis | Diagnosis Code |
Hyperparathyroidism | 252.0 |
Unspecified vitamin D deficiency (only allowed once per lifetime for Medicare patients) | 268.9 |
Pure Hypercholesterolemia | 272.0 |
Other and Unspecified Hyperlipidemia | 272.4 |
Benign Essential Hypertension | 401.1 |
Unspecified Essential Hypertension | 401.9 |
Chronic kidney disease, stage III (moderate) | 585.3 |
Chronic kidney disease, stage IV (severe) | 585.4 |
Chronic kidney disease, stage V | 585.5 |
End stage renal disease | 585.6 |
Osteoporosis | 733.00 |
Disorder of bone and cartilage, unspecified | 733.90 |
Table is from the PDF attached at the bottom of this page
Health Problems which have been proven to be prevented or treated by vitamin D supplementation,
but which are not covered by medicare include
Cardiovascular, Back Pain, Diabetes, Influenza, Falls, Hip Fractures, Breast Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Raynaud's pain, Menstrual Pain, C-section and pregnancy risks, Low Birth Weight, Chronic Kidney Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, TB, Rickets, Respiratory Tract Infection, Lupus, Sickle Cell pain, leg ulcers, traumatic brain injury. Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Congestive Heart Failure (Infants), Middle Ear Infection (Infants), Gingivitis, muscles in seniors, antibiotic use in seniors, Infants taller, Gestational Diabetes, heart pump better after attack, Prostate Cancer, Asthma, Depression, Vitamin D in Breastmilk, Fibromyalgia, Hives (as of Feb 2014)
There are > 1,000 clinical trials using vitamin D intervention - we anticipate the proof for vitamin D for such Health Problems as
Alzheimer's, Infection, other Pregnancy Problems, Allergies, Asthma, Autism, Chronic Fatigue, Chronic Pain, COPD, Dental, Headache, Psorasis, Sepsis . . .
Low vitamin D tied to premature death NYT June 2014 - in the comments
- "Medicare paid for the first Vitamin D test , , "
- 'But when we had a second Vitamin D test some months later . . , Medicare would not pay for them and we were charged $ 240 each."
Comment by Vitamin D Life
US is foolishly joining countries such as Canada and Austraila in limiting short-term health costs by restricting vitamin D tests
Vitamin D tests have been proven to lower, not raise health care costs (Lancet 2012)
A person will typically just need a single vitamin D test 4 months after having a loading dose followed by maintenance dose
The vitamin D test is to confirm that the maintenance dose chosen is large enough
It your vitamin D level is not high enough and the govt does not pay for additional testing
we recommend that you get tested commercially, at far lower cost than at most hospitals.
Note: Medicare may allow vitamin D testing is the vitamin D test is part of a general blood panel test. Just speculating
See also Vitamin D Life
- Virtually all vitamin D testing not associated with a symptom, but 10 percent had osteoporosis – April 2014
- Australia is considering cutting vitamin D testing – March 2011 100X increase in a decade
- No longer debating vitamin D supplementation, now debating need for testing first – April 2013
- Vitamin D testing using smartphone camera: Prototype – Dec 2013 very low cost vitamin D tests are in the pipline
- Low cost vitamin D Blood Tests
- Quick, free, self test of vitamin D deficiency FREE
- Vitamin D test: 20 dollars via some Walgreens Drug Stores – Oct 2013 very low cost vitamin D tests are in the pipline
- 80 X increase in Vitamin D testing in Australia in a decade - June 2013
They may have stopped the increase direct costs by greatly restricting testing
Chart of actual increase and the left Chart of extrapolation if quota had not been imposed.is on the right
- Hypothesis of cause and effect of vitamin D deficiency which has the following chart
See also web
- Medicare Australia overhaul restricts vitamin D and B12 tests Nov 2014
66833 item covers 25-hydroxyvitamin D testing for high-risk groups, such as people who have
"deeply pigmented skin, or chronic and severe lack of sun exposure for cultural, medical, occupational or residential reasons".
The item covers testing in 10 other high-risk categories, including patients with osteoporosis and those with malabsorption. - Same day: Medicare US proposed that they should pay for annual chest Xrays of people who have smoked a lot during thier lives
Claims that this proposed policy will save money
- but not nearly as much money as could be saved by screening for low vitamin D levels