Poster presenter: Timothy Alexander “Alex” Edgil, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Poster title: Assessing Trends in Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) Utilization Among Medical Providers in the United States
Poster Session C
8:30 – 10:30 a.m. ET Monday, Nov. 8
All ACR Convergence 2021 poster presentations are available on demand to registered meeting participants through March 11, 2022.
What is your poster about?
Osteoporosis is a common disease that is insidious in onset, but can be prevented and treated readily with low-cost, high-quality imaging to include dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans. Data that was publicly available from Medicare was analyzed to determine who is performing/reading DXA scans in the United States, as well as information about these providers to include demographics, specialty, and location.
Why did you decide to investigate this topic?
Bone mineral disease, including osteoporosis, is increasingly relevant in an aging population, as seen in the U.S. today. Understanding who is performing the necessary tests to diagnose, prevent, and treat this disease is pertinent to ascertaining the access to appropriate care and to assess the impact on health disparities. I have an interest in informatics and data management, so when presented with the opportunity I was eager to sift through the data to evaluate our hypothesis.
What are you working on next related to this research?
This data set was recently updated to include the latest available Medicare data (2019). Hopefully, this will translate into a manuscript to be available for further research and understanding into the topic. There is potential for not only expanding the scope, but also to continue yearly updates as information becomes available.
What excites you most about your work?
Medicine is about learning from the present to shape a better future, and projects like this are key to continue the pursuit of medical knowledge. I enjoy using data to learn more about factors that affect patient care and I am glad to have great mentors to guide us to this. I have no doubt rheumatology is on the cusp of fantastic new discoveries and knowledge when incorporating data management and informatics, and being a part of this is an exciting opportunity!