{"id":2249,"date":"2009-07-03T03:59:59","date_gmt":"2009-07-03T07:59:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/index.php\/just-as-doctors-are-encouraging-vitamin-d-testing-the-government-may-cut-access-to-the-tests\/"},"modified":"2009-07-03T03:59:59","modified_gmt":"2009-07-03T07:59:59","slug":"just-as-doctors-are-encouraging-vitamin-d-testing-the-government-may-cut-access-to-the-tests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/just-as-doctors-are-encouraging-vitamin-d-testing-the-government-may-cut-access-to-the-tests\/","title":{"rendered":"Just as doctors are encouraging vitamin D testing, the government may cut access to the tests"},"content":{"rendered":"

JULY 2, 2009 \u2014 Just as doctors are starting to wake up to the importance of knowing their patients’ vitamin D levels, the federal government’s insurance programs are proposing cutbacks that would limit reimbursements for vitamin D tests.<\/p>\n

\"2009-07-02-blocking-the-d-test-tanningnews-copy.jpg\"<\/a>“Despite this high level of interest in Vitamin D, Medicare\u2019s largest carrier has proposed restricting reimbursements to medical laboratories for routine Vitamin D testing. The Dark Report reported that Medicare contractor National Government Services (NGS) said it would cover Vitamin D testing only for patients with chronic kidney disease, osteomalacia, hypercalcemia, and rickets and NGS would deny other testing for Vitamin D,” The Dark Report \u2014 an on-line newsletter for clinical laboratories and the pathology industry \u2014 reported this week.<\/p>\n

Robert Michaels, who writes The Dark Report, pointed out that this seems to contradict the point of a $20 million federally funded study announced in June that will prospectively examine the effect of higher vitamin D doses in an attempt to confirm the hundreds of studies that now link vitamin D with lower risk of most forms of cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and other disorders.<\/p>\n

“Clinical laboratory managers and pathologists have a right to be frustrated at the mixed messages being sent by different agencies of the federal government. Before the results of this large, federally-funding study will be known, its Medicare carriers are taking steps to restrict access to routine Vitamin D testing by Medicare beneficiaries. Once again, the nation\u2019s medical laboratories are caught in the middle between how physicians practice medicine \u2014 and order laboratory tests \u2014 and government restrictions on how laboratories can submit claims and be paid for these tests,” Michaels wrote.<\/p>\n

A vitamin D blood test \u2014 also known as a calcidiol test, or a 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D test \u2014 is the only way to accurately gauge a person’s vitamin D status. Vitamin D researchers now recommend vitamin D blood levels of 40-60 nanograms-per-milliliter (or 100-150 nanomoles per liter) and 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily from all sources to maintain that level.<\/p>\n

The number of vitamin D tests ordered by laboratories in the United States doubled in 2008.<\/p>\n

To read Michaels’ column click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JULY 2, 2009 \u2014 Just as doctors are starting to wake up to the importance of knowing their patients’ vitamin D levels, the federal government’s insurance programs are proposing cutbacks that would limit reimbursements for vitamin D tests.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nJust as doctors are encouraging vitamin D testing, the government may cut access to the tests - Smart Tan News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"JULY 2, 2009 \u2014 Just as doctors are starting to wake up to the importance of knowing their patients' vitamin D levels, the federal government's insurance programs are proposing cutbacks that would limit reimbursements for vitamin D tests. "Despite this high level of interest in Vitamin D, Medicare\u2019s largest carrier has proposed restricting reimbursements to medical laboratories for routine Vitamin D testing. The Dark Report reported that Medicare contractor National Government Services (NGS) said it would cover Vitamin D testing only for patients with chronic kidney disease, osteomalacia, hypercalcemia, and rickets and NGS would deny other testing for Vitamin D," The Dark Report \u2014 an on-line newsletter for clinical laboratories and the pathology industry \u2014 reported this week. Robert Michaels, who writes The Dark Report, pointed out that this seems to contradict the point of a $20 million federally funded study announced in June that will prospectively examine the effect of higher vitamin D doses in an attempt to confirm the hundreds of studies that now link vitamin D with lower risk of most forms of cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and other disorders. "Clinical laboratory managers and pathologists have a right to be frustrated at the mixed messages being sent by different agencies of the federal government. Before the results of this large, federally-funding study will be known, its Medicare carriers are taking steps to restrict access to routine Vitamin D testing by Medicare beneficiaries. Once again, the nation\u2019s medical laboratories are caught in the middle between how physicians practice medicine \u2014 and order laboratory tests \u2014 and government restrictions on how laboratories can submit claims and be paid for these tests," Michaels wrote. A vitamin D blood test \u2014 also known as a calcidiol test, or a 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D test \u2014 is the only way to accurately gauge a person's vitamin D status. Vitamin D researchers now recommend vitamin D blood levels of 40-60 nanograms-per-milliliter (or 100-150 nanomoles per liter) and 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily from all sources to maintain that level. The number of vitamin D tests ordered by laboratories in the United States doubled in 2008. To read Michaels' column click here.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/just-as-doctors-are-encouraging-vitamin-d-testing-the-government-may-cut-access-to-the-tests\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Just as doctors are encouraging vitamin D testing, the government may cut access to the tests - Smart Tan News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"JULY 2, 2009 \u2014 Just as doctors are starting to wake up to the importance of knowing their patients' vitamin D levels, the federal government's insurance programs are proposing cutbacks that would limit reimbursements for vitamin D tests. "Despite this high level of interest in Vitamin D, Medicare\u2019s largest carrier has proposed restricting reimbursements to medical laboratories for routine Vitamin D testing. The Dark Report reported that Medicare contractor National Government Services (NGS) said it would cover Vitamin D testing only for patients with chronic kidney disease, osteomalacia, hypercalcemia, and rickets and NGS would deny other testing for Vitamin D," The Dark Report \u2014 an on-line newsletter for clinical laboratories and the pathology industry \u2014 reported this week. Robert Michaels, who writes The Dark Report, pointed out that this seems to contradict the point of a $20 million federally funded study announced in June that will prospectively examine the effect of higher vitamin D doses in an attempt to confirm the hundreds of studies that now link vitamin D with lower risk of most forms of cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and other disorders. "Clinical laboratory managers and pathologists have a right to be frustrated at the mixed messages being sent by different agencies of the federal government. Before the results of this large, federally-funding study will be known, its Medicare carriers are taking steps to restrict access to routine Vitamin D testing by Medicare beneficiaries. Once again, the nation\u2019s medical laboratories are caught in the middle between how physicians practice medicine \u2014 and order laboratory tests \u2014 and government restrictions on how laboratories can submit claims and be paid for these tests," Michaels wrote. A vitamin D blood test \u2014 also known as a calcidiol test, or a 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D test \u2014 is the only way to accurately gauge a person's vitamin D status. Vitamin D researchers now recommend vitamin D blood levels of 40-60 nanograms-per-milliliter (or 100-150 nanomoles per liter) and 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily from all sources to maintain that level. The number of vitamin D tests ordered by laboratories in the United States doubled in 2008. To read Michaels' column click here.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/just-as-doctors-are-encouraging-vitamin-d-testing-the-government-may-cut-access-to-the-tests\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smart Tan News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2009-07-03T07:59:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/2009-07-02-blocking-the-d-test-tanningnews-copy.thumbnail.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"smarttan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"smarttan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/just-as-doctors-are-encouraging-vitamin-d-testing-the-government-may-cut-access-to-the-tests\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/just-as-doctors-are-encouraging-vitamin-d-testing-the-government-may-cut-access-to-the-tests\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"smarttan\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4191f4b1131c0a37b4fd39f876771e7b\"},\"headline\":\"Just as doctors are encouraging vitamin D testing, the government may cut access to the tests\",\"datePublished\":\"2009-07-03T07:59:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/just-as-doctors-are-encouraging-vitamin-d-testing-the-government-may-cut-access-to-the-tests\/\"},\"wordCount\":365,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/just-as-doctors-are-encouraging-vitamin-d-testing-the-government-may-cut-access-to-the-tests\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/2009-07-02-blocking-the-d-test-tanningnews-copy.thumbnail.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/just-as-doctors-are-encouraging-vitamin-d-testing-the-government-may-cut-access-to-the-tests\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/just-as-doctors-are-encouraging-vitamin-d-testing-the-government-may-cut-access-to-the-tests\/\",\"name\":\"Just as doctors are encouraging vitamin D testing, the government may cut access to the tests - Smart Tan News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/just-as-doctors-are-encouraging-vitamin-d-testing-the-government-may-cut-access-to-the-tests\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/just-as-doctors-are-encouraging-vitamin-d-testing-the-government-may-cut-access-to-the-tests\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/2009-07-02-blocking-the-d-test-tanningnews-copy.thumbnail.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2009-07-03T07:59:59+00:00\",\"description\":\"JULY 2, 2009 \u2014 Just as doctors are starting to wake up to the importance of knowing their patients' vitamin D levels, the federal government's insurance programs are proposing cutbacks that would limit reimbursements for vitamin D tests. \\\"Despite this high level of interest in Vitamin D, Medicare\u2019s largest carrier has proposed restricting reimbursements to medical laboratories for routine Vitamin D testing. The Dark Report reported that Medicare contractor National Government Services (NGS) said it would cover Vitamin D testing only for patients with chronic kidney disease, osteomalacia, hypercalcemia, and rickets and NGS would deny other testing for Vitamin D,\\\" The Dark Report \u2014 an on-line newsletter for clinical laboratories and the pathology industry \u2014 reported this week. Robert Michaels, who writes The Dark Report, pointed out that this seems to contradict the point of a $20 million federally funded study announced in June that will prospectively examine the effect of higher vitamin D doses in an attempt to confirm the hundreds of studies that now link vitamin D with lower risk of most forms of cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and other disorders. \\\"Clinical laboratory managers and pathologists have a right to be frustrated at the mixed messages being sent by different agencies of the federal government. Before the results of this large, federally-funding study will be known, its Medicare carriers are taking steps to restrict access to routine Vitamin D testing by Medicare beneficiaries. Once again, the nation\u2019s medical laboratories are caught in the middle between how physicians practice medicine \u2014 and order laboratory tests \u2014 and government restrictions on how laboratories can submit claims and be paid for these tests,\\\" Michaels wrote. A vitamin D blood test \u2014 also known as a calcidiol test, or a 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D test \u2014 is the only way to accurately gauge a person's vitamin D status. Vitamin D researchers now recommend vitamin D blood levels of 40-60 nanograms-per-milliliter (or 100-150 nanomoles per liter) and 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily from all sources to maintain that level. The number of vitamin D tests ordered by laboratories in the United States doubled in 2008. 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The Dark Report reported that Medicare contractor National Government Services (NGS) said it would cover Vitamin D testing only for patients with chronic kidney disease, osteomalacia, hypercalcemia, and rickets and NGS would deny other testing for Vitamin D,\" The Dark Report \u2014 an on-line newsletter for clinical laboratories and the pathology industry \u2014 reported this week. Robert Michaels, who writes The Dark Report, pointed out that this seems to contradict the point of a $20 million federally funded study announced in June that will prospectively examine the effect of higher vitamin D doses in an attempt to confirm the hundreds of studies that now link vitamin D with lower risk of most forms of cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and other disorders. \"Clinical laboratory managers and pathologists have a right to be frustrated at the mixed messages being sent by different agencies of the federal government. Before the results of this large, federally-funding study will be known, its Medicare carriers are taking steps to restrict access to routine Vitamin D testing by Medicare beneficiaries. Once again, the nation\u2019s medical laboratories are caught in the middle between how physicians practice medicine \u2014 and order laboratory tests \u2014 and government restrictions on how laboratories can submit claims and be paid for these tests,\" Michaels wrote. A vitamin D blood test \u2014 also known as a calcidiol test, or a 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D test \u2014 is the only way to accurately gauge a person's vitamin D status. Vitamin D researchers now recommend vitamin D blood levels of 40-60 nanograms-per-milliliter (or 100-150 nanomoles per liter) and 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily from all sources to maintain that level. The number of vitamin D tests ordered by laboratories in the United States doubled in 2008. 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The Dark Report reported that Medicare contractor National Government Services (NGS) said it would cover Vitamin D testing only for patients with chronic kidney disease, osteomalacia, hypercalcemia, and rickets and NGS would deny other testing for Vitamin D,\" The Dark Report \u2014 an on-line newsletter for clinical laboratories and the pathology industry \u2014 reported this week. Robert Michaels, who writes The Dark Report, pointed out that this seems to contradict the point of a $20 million federally funded study announced in June that will prospectively examine the effect of higher vitamin D doses in an attempt to confirm the hundreds of studies that now link vitamin D with lower risk of most forms of cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and other disorders. \"Clinical laboratory managers and pathologists have a right to be frustrated at the mixed messages being sent by different agencies of the federal government. Before the results of this large, federally-funding study will be known, its Medicare carriers are taking steps to restrict access to routine Vitamin D testing by Medicare beneficiaries. Once again, the nation\u2019s medical laboratories are caught in the middle between how physicians practice medicine \u2014 and order laboratory tests \u2014 and government restrictions on how laboratories can submit claims and be paid for these tests,\" Michaels wrote. A vitamin D blood test \u2014 also known as a calcidiol test, or a 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D test \u2014 is the only way to accurately gauge a person's vitamin D status. Vitamin D researchers now recommend vitamin D blood levels of 40-60 nanograms-per-milliliter (or 100-150 nanomoles per liter) and 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily from all sources to maintain that level. The number of vitamin D tests ordered by laboratories in the United States doubled in 2008. 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The Dark Report reported that Medicare contractor National Government Services (NGS) said it would cover Vitamin D testing only for patients with chronic kidney disease, osteomalacia, hypercalcemia, and rickets and NGS would deny other testing for Vitamin D,\" The Dark Report \u2014 an on-line newsletter for clinical laboratories and the pathology industry \u2014 reported this week. Robert Michaels, who writes The Dark Report, pointed out that this seems to contradict the point of a $20 million federally funded study announced in June that will prospectively examine the effect of higher vitamin D doses in an attempt to confirm the hundreds of studies that now link vitamin D with lower risk of most forms of cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and other disorders. \"Clinical laboratory managers and pathologists have a right to be frustrated at the mixed messages being sent by different agencies of the federal government. Before the results of this large, federally-funding study will be known, its Medicare carriers are taking steps to restrict access to routine Vitamin D testing by Medicare beneficiaries. Once again, the nation\u2019s medical laboratories are caught in the middle between how physicians practice medicine \u2014 and order laboratory tests \u2014 and government restrictions on how laboratories can submit claims and be paid for these tests,\" Michaels wrote. A vitamin D blood test \u2014 also known as a calcidiol test, or a 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D test \u2014 is the only way to accurately gauge a person's vitamin D status. Vitamin D researchers now recommend vitamin D blood levels of 40-60 nanograms-per-milliliter (or 100-150 nanomoles per liter) and 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily from all sources to maintain that level. The number of vitamin D tests ordered by laboratories in the United States doubled in 2008. To read Michaels' column click here.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/just-as-doctors-are-encouraging-vitamin-d-testing-the-government-may-cut-access-to-the-tests\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/just-as-doctors-are-encouraging-vitamin-d-testing-the-government-may-cut-access-to-the-tests\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/just-as-doctors-are-encouraging-vitamin-d-testing-the-government-may-cut-access-to-the-tests\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/2009-07-02-blocking-the-d-test-tanningnews-copy.thumbnail.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/2009-07-02-blocking-the-d-test-tanningnews-copy.thumbnail.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/just-as-doctors-are-encouraging-vitamin-d-testing-the-government-may-cut-access-to-the-tests\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Just as doctors are encouraging vitamin D testing, the government may cut access to the tests"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/","name":"Smart Tan News","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization","name":"Smart Tan","url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Smart-Tan.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Smart-Tan.png","width":500,"height":164,"caption":"Smart Tan"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmartTan","https:\/\/x.com\/SmartTan"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4191f4b1131c0a37b4fd39f876771e7b","name":"smarttan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60bebff64d4c62315967b9126de927b81d5a9d9511fd52f9dbe9e8b344149182?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60bebff64d4c62315967b9126de927b81d5a9d9511fd52f9dbe9e8b344149182?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60bebff64d4c62315967b9126de927b81d5a9d9511fd52f9dbe9e8b344149182?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"smarttan"},"url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/author\/smarttan\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2249"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2249\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}