U.S. based ladies: self-referral, cash pay DEXA is a thing*

Maybe it’s new news to some, or a reminder for others. Yesterday I called a diagnostic radiology center near me and asked if they accept self-referred patients that want to cash pay (I have shitty insurance). They did and I got in the next day. I got DEXA scans for bone mineral density and advanced body composition (interested in visceral fat and lean body mass analysis). Each scan was $80 and I left with a report. I could have paid to have someone interpret them and meet with me, but I’m fairly medically literate and also used my fav LLM to interpret. I’m using this information to understand my baseline at 40 (already on HRT) in the context of a family history of osteoporosis. Even good insurance plans often don’t cover BMD scans until we’re in our 60s. Too late, IMO. I’ve never heard of one covering body comp. The caveat here is that unfortunately it’s probably not available to many in smaller towns. I live in rural western Colorado and would have had to drive an hour and 20 min from home. Luckily I’m visiting family in a bigger metro area (D.C,VA,MD) and didn’t have to drive more than 10 min for a next day appointment. Just in case anyone else wants to work outside the lines a little.