A broken bone on a patient with osteoporosis is considered a fragility fracture. Fragility fractures are a serious complication of osteoporosis and often the first sign that a person has the disease. Unfortunately, only about 20% of the nearly two million individuals who experience fragility fractures each year are tested or treated for osteoporosis.
Those fractures are costly, nearly $18 billion in related costs every year. By 2018, experts predict those numbers to rise to nearly three million fractures and $25.3 billion in costs each year. Failing to prevent future fractures can be deadly; nearly 25% of patients who suffer a hip fracture die within a year. The majority who do survive experience a loss of independence and often require long-term nursing home care. The American Orthopaedic Association’s (AOA) Own the Bone program was developed to recognize providers using best practices to address this silent public health epidemic in health care.
Methodist Hospitals is proud to announce they have received an Own the Bone Star Performer designation for the upcoming year and the fourth year in a row, an achievement reserved only for institutions that perform at the highest level of fragility fracture and bone health care. Own the Bone Star Performers like Methodist Hospitals must achieve a 75% compliance rate with at least 5 of the 10 Own the Bone prevention measures, including: educating patients on the importance of Calcium and Vitamin D, physical activity, falls prevention, limiting alcohol intake and quitting smoking; recommending and initiating bone mineral density testing; discussing pharmacotherapy and treatment (when applicable); and providing written communication to the patient and their physician regarding specific risk factors and treatment recommendations.
Through the Own the Bone program and its national web-based quality improvement registry, Methodist Hospitals has been provided with the tools to establish a fracture liaison service (FLS) and to document, track and benchmark care of fragility fracture patients. Through an FLS program, a care coordinator, such as a nurse or physician’s assistant, ensures that fragility fracture patients are identified, evaluated and treated.
“Methodist Hospitals is proud to have a clinic for osteoporosis management; traditionally osteoporosis is underestimated and often neglected by both patients and physicians. Over the last few years, we have realized that osteoporosis is a serious condition and a silent killer if it is not addressed. The good news is that it is detectable and treatable. Methodist Hospitals Osteoporosis Clinic focuses on evaluating and screening patients and providing them with the individual treatment they need in order to improve their quality of life to prevent fragility fractures,” said Kristy Darnell, Nurse Practitioner, Osteoporosis Clinic.
For more information about Methodist Hospitals program and treatment options, contact 219-738-4930.
