The rising cost of vitamin D testing in Australia: time to establish guidelines for testing

To the Editor: A rising awareness of the prevalence of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) deficiency over the past decade is likely to have led to a surge in the number of individuals who undergo 25OHD testing.1 United States data indicate that testing for 25OHD has increased by 80%–90% annually,2 yet there are no reports that investigate the cost of 25OHD testing in Australia. We analysed the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) to determine the economic impact of vitamin D testing in Australia from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2010.