Great Falls Clinic announced that it has implemented The American Orthopaedic Association’s Own the Bone® Program. The program is aimed to better identify, evaluate and treat patients that suffer from an osteoporosis or low bone density-related fracture. 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 (BHOF), up to 50% of all women and 25% of men over the age of 50 years will sustain a fragility fracture. Studies show that patients who have had a fragility fracture are 2 to 4 times more likely to experience another fracture than those who have never had a fracture. Yet, less than half of Medicare patients do not receive recommended osteoporosis care following a fragility fracture.
Great Falls Clinic is one of over 300 health care institutions nationwide that has taken initiative to ensure its osteoporotic fracture patients receive the treatment and care they deserve. Through the Own the Bone program and its national web-based quality improvement registry, Great Falls Clinic 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. Great Falls Clinic 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 Great Falls Clinic’s Chief Practice Officer, Caryl Perdaems shares she is excited to introduce this program to the clinic as it will have a great impact on the community.
“Establishing preventative fracture liaison services in our community is one way we are carrying out our mission of delivering compassionate personalized care to all,” Caryl shares. “By providing a systematic approach to preventing or treating fractures created by osteoporosis, we hope to help individuals live fuller longer lives. We offer best in class surgical orthopedic care, yet we also know prevention decreases mortality in the elderly and improves surgical outcomes if it is required at some point.”
By simply entering information in the web-based registry, improvements in patient care can be documented, tracked and quantified.
Dr. Alan Greenwald specializes in osteoporosis and Bone Health at the Great Falls Clinic, and recently took on the champion role with the local Own the Own the Bone program. He shares that a majority of the older United States population suffers from osteoporosis; while it is a preventable and treatable disease, it is a silent condition that typically goes undetected until a fragility fracture occurs.
“Unfortunately, most of the time these fractures are treated without ever attending to the underlying cause of the condition and the usual result is that another fracture results with a worse outcome,” Dr. Greenwald states. “Our goal at the Bone Health Clinic at Great Falls Clinic is to prevent fractures and improve our patient’s skeletal health. We hope to reduce the costs and suffering that these fragility fractures cause by treating our patients before they fail and promptly manage them when they do. We also plan to help patients planning spine and joint replacement procedures to have better outcomes by improving their bone health preoperatively.”
To learn more about the Great Falls Clinic Orthopedic Center you can call 406-217-2171 or visit www.gfclinic.com. For more information on the Own the Bone campaign please visit www.ownthebone.org.
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About the Great Falls Clinic:
Proudly serving the Central Montana community since 1917, the Great Falls Clinic’s humble beginning was established when four medical leaders came together to create the state’s first group medical practice with only five specialties. Over one century later, the Great Falls Clinic has multiplied with specialties ranging from primary care to emergency medicine and a diverse surgical team including the addition of a hospital. The Clinic is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of the community by providing compassionate, personalized care to all.
As a provider-led organization, the Great Falls Clinic and Hospital stays ahead of the curve by incorporating the latest technology and methodology, prioritizing teamwork, and recruiting exemplary staff who embody the vision to provide highest-quality care.
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 additional information about the AOA, visit www.aoassn.org. For additional information about Own the Bone, visit www.ownthebone.org.