New initiative at Mount Sinai enhances treatment for osteoporosis-related fractures

The Leni and Peter W. May Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has implemented the American Orthopaedic Association's Own the Bone^® program, joining more than 300 health care institutions nationwide to help better identify, evaluate, and treat patients who experience an osteoporosis- or low bone density-related fractures.

The program brings attention to the severe health implications of fragility fractures (broken bones that result from a fall from standing height or less) and the multi-faceted approach hospitals or clinics can incorporate to ensure these patients receive the most comprehensive care.

According to the Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation, up to 50 percent of all women and 25 percent of men over 50 will sustain a fragility fracture at some point in their lives. Studies show that patients who have had a fragility fracture are two to four times more likely to experience another fracture than those who have never had a fracture, yet fewer than 50 percent of Medicare patients receive recommended osteoporosis care following a fragility fracture.

Through the Own the Bone^® program and its national web-based quality improvement registry, Mount Sinai now offers a fracture liaison service to help document, track, and benchmark care of fragility fracture patients. Through the service, a care coordinator such as a nurse or physician's assistant will ensure that fragility fracture patients are identified, evaluated, and treated according to their specific needs.

Mount Sinai has also incorporated Own the Bone's 10 prevention measures to improve patient care, including nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle counseling, pharmacotherapy recommendation and initiation (when appropriate), bone mineral density testing recommendation and initiation, and communication regarding patient risk factors and recommendations via physician referral and patient education letters.

The Own the Bone program is a tremendous opportunity to better service our patients with a more individualized approach to fracture care. The department is proud to add yet another means of providing superior orthopedic care to our community by offering an extraordinary, personalized experience for individuals suffering from fragility fractures."

Leesa M. Galatz, MD, Mount Sinai Professor and Chair, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

"Wellness, independence, and quality of life are so closely tied to bone health, and unfortunately osteoporosis is often not appropriately addressed," Own the Bone Program Coordinator Phoebe Ke, PA-C, MHA, CCD, said. "We have a wonderful opportunity to help patients work towards bone health and prevent fractures through our Own the Bone program, and I am honored to be part of our patients' bone health journeys."