For Immediate Release
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 6300 N. River Road Rosemont, IL 60018
For more information, contact: Joanne L. Swanson(847) 384-4035 [email protected]
HIP FRACTURE EPIDEMIC REQUIRES HEALTH SYSTEM REFORM
WASHINGTON, DC--Hip fracture in the senior population should be a public health priority and target of health system reform by the new administration, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).
Each year, 350,000 hospital admissions and 60,000 nursing home admissions are due to hip fractures. By the year 2050, with the aging population, the number of hip fractures could reach 650,000.
"Ronald Reagan's fall, orthopaedic surgery and rehabilitation illustrate the seriousness of breaking a hip," said Alan H. Morris, MD, chair of the Academy's council on health policy. "Hip fractures affect not only the individual, but also the entire family."
AAOS notes that the Medicare payment system is causing medical care organizations and hospitals to reduce the lengths of stay for hip fracture patients in an effort to control health care costs.
"The acute hospital phase is cut without enhancing and coordinating the post-acute phase, including rehabilitation and home support," Dr. Morris said. "That is discriminatory to older Americans. The burden of care shifts to the non-hospital sectors of the medical system, and to families, at a tremendous cost."
AAOS is calling upon the federal government, regulatory agencies and Congress to explore new models for hip fracture care which make the system more accountable to patient needs. On May 3 and 4 in Washington, DC, 11 medical organizations involved in hip fracture patient care will hold the first "National Consensus Conference on Improving the Continuum of Care to Patients with Hip Fracture."
The Academy and AAOS have issued a Position Statement, Hip Fractures in Seniors: A Call for Health System Reform. Among the recommendations:
-Eliminate the current acute care hospital model, which minimizes rehabilitation services. -Establish a patient care model, which is based on functional patient needs and return of the hip fracture patient to the highest possible activity level. -Increase home health services to patients-Minimize the degree to which the patient is removed from his/her health care team after discharge.-Expand comprehensive falls prevention programs, and programs to prevent and treat osteoporosis.
Joseph D. Zuckerman, MD, chair of the Academy's council on education, said that there is no data to demonstrate that shorter hospital stays for hip fracture lead to cost savings to society. "While the repair of a fractured hip is essential, it is only one part of the process leading to optimal recovery."
"A comprehensive, coordinated and ongoing strategy, beginning with prevention, and reaching far beyond the acute hospital phase, is needed to ensure that recovery is optimized," said Dr. Zuckerman, chairman, department of orthopaedic surgery and director, orthopaedic surgery residency program, NYU-Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York.
"The AAOS stands ready to assist the federal government in the development and implementation of such a strategy." He noted that osteoporosis plays a role in 90 percent of all hip fractures, so bone densitometry testing is important for both males and females.
"Women have two to three times as many hip fractures as men, and a 20 percent chance of hip fracture during their lifetime," said Dr. Zuckerman. "Nearly one-half of women who are age 90 have broken a hip. Men age 85 or older are also at high risk for hip fracture.
"The rate of hip fracture increases at age 50, doubling every five to six years," he said. "Hip fracture is an even greater crisis for people who live alone. By 2020, women will account for 85 percent of persons age 65 years and older who live alone."
The 24,500-member American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (www.aaos.org) or (http://orthoinfo.aaos.org), is a not-for-profit organization that provides education programs for orthopaedic surgeons, allied health professionals and the public.
An advocate for improved patient care, the Academy is participating in the Bone and Joint Decade (www.bonejointdecade.org), the global initiative in the years 2000-2010 to raise awareness of musculoskeletal health, stimulate research and improve people's quality of life.
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For consensus conference information, contact Marilyn Weisberg, MPH, senior policy analyst, AAOS, by phone (847) 384-4332 or email: [email protected].
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