Osteoporosis is a major public health threat for an estimated 54 million Americans 50 years of age and older. In the U.S. today, 10.2 million individuals are estimated to already have the disease and 43.4 million more are estimated to have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis and fractures. Because bone density tends to decline with age, the problem of osteoporosis has reached epidemic proportions with the rapidly aging population. It is estimated that by 2020 over 61 million Americans will have osteoporosis or low bone mass. Join host Dr. Shira Johnson welcomes Dr. Meryl LeBoff, Endocrinologist; Chief of the Calcium and Bone Section at Brigham Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts; and, trustee of the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
About NOF & Fracture Liaison Service (FLS)
NOF has adopted the 20/20 Vision of the National Bone Health Alliance (NBHA), of which NOF is a founding member. The goal is to reduce bone breaks by 20% by the year 2020.
Approximately 2 million fractures are caused by osteoporosis each year. Compliance around osteoporosis and post-fracture quality measures is not consistent despite the existence of several NCQA and CMS healthcare provider quality measures. The solution to resolving the 75 percent post-fracture care gap in the U.S. is to foster the widespread implementation of fracture liaison service (FLS) programs, a proven coordinated preventative care model which operates under the supervision of a bone health specialist and collaborates with the patient's primary care physician. The FLS model of care has been proven to improve patient outcomes and significantly reduce the incidence of secondary fractures.
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