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The Center for Orthopedics Raises Awareness About Osteoporosis and Fragility Fractures

May 14, 2012 — May is National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month. Although an estimated 44 million Americans are impacted by osteoporosis or low bone density, most will go undiagnosed and untreated. This disease, which is so often overlooked, leads to fragility fractures.

Fragility fractures are falls from standing height or less, and can be debilitating for the elderly and sometimes even deadly. Eighty percent of Medicare patients do not receive recommended osteoporosis care following a fragility fracture. It's time to bring attention and awareness to this silent public health epidemic.

The Center for Orthopedics is one of the 88 health care institutions nationwide that has taken initiative to ensure its osteoporotic fracture patients receive the treatment and care that they deserve. Through the American Orthopaedic Association's (AOA) Own the Bone program, a national web-based quality improvement registry, The Center for Orthopedics has been provided the tools to establish a fracture liaison service (FLS). A FLS program utilizes a care coordinator to ensure that post-fracture patients are identified and receive appropriate evaluation, diagnosis and treatment.

The Center for Orthopedics 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 applicable); 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 web-based registry offers institutions access to benchmarking capabilities that enable them to document improvements in patient care over time, as well as to compare results with other participating institutions nationwide.

Although the experts at The Center for Orthopedics are specially trained in healing broken bones, their number one goal is to prevent them. That's why they have also implemented Strong Bones for Life - the first and only program of its kind in the area focused on both fall prevention and early prevention of osteoporosis. The program's unique bone health assessment, including comprehensive medical and physical therapy evaluations, enable The Center for Orthopedics' physicians to develop customized plans to help patients manage their conditions, and protect against future broken bones. For patients at risk for osteoporosis; those who have been diagnosed with the disease; or those who have an osteoporosis-related broken bone, the Strong Bones for Life program can get them back to living better.

"Since implementing the Own the Bone and Strong Bones for Life programs last year, we have identified and treated many patients with osteoporosis who didn't even know they had it," said Dr. Harkeet Sandhu, coordinator of the Own the Bone and Strong Bones for Life programs at The Center for Orthopedics. "That's why osteoporosis is termed a silent disease." He continued, "Preventing future fractures for our patients is a top priority, and these programs help us provide that high level of care."

For more information about the Own the Bone or Strong Bones for Life programs at The Center for Orthopedics, please call 440.329.2800.

About the AOA
The American Orthopaedic Association, founded in 1887, is the oldest national orthopaedic association in the world. The AOA's mission is to identify, develop, engage and recognize leadership to further the art and science of orthopaedics. For more information, visit www.aoassn.org or call (847) 318-7336.

About EMH Healthcare
EMH Healthcare's mission is to improve the health of our community through safe, high-quality and cost-effective care. To fulfill this mission, , EMH Amherst Campus, in Avon, and a multi-disciplinary medical staff provide services to meet the needs of the community. EMH Elyria Medical Center was founded in 1908 as a community hospital and is committed to providing expert care and exceptional caring to all. For more information, visit www.emh-healthcare.org.