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Silver Book Fact

Reducing secondary bone fractures can reduce medicare spending

Reducing 5-20 percent of “secondary” bone fractures in 2015 could have reduced Medicare FFS spending by $310 million to $1.2 billion over a follow-up period that lasted up to 2 to 3 years after a new osteoporotic fracture.

Hansen D, Bazell C, Pelizzari P, Pyenson B. Medicare Cost of Osteoporotic Fractures. Milliman Research Report. 2019; https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c0860aff793924efe2230f3/t/5d76b949deb7e9086ee3d7dd/1568061771769/Medicare+Cost+of+Osteoporotic+Fractures+20190827.pdf

Reference

Title
Medicare Cost of Osteoporotic Fractures
Publication
Milliman Research Report
Publication Date
2019
Authors
Hansen D, Bazell C, Pelizzari P, Pyenson B
URL
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Categories

  • Cost of Disease
  • Economic Value

Connected Facts

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis prevalence among Mexican American, Non-Hispanic White, and women >80 years old

Osteoporosis is most common among:

  • Mexican American women (20.4%)
  • Non-Hispanic white women (15.8%)
  • and women aged 80 and older (34.9%).

Prevalence & Incidence, Age - A Major Risk Factor, Today's Older Population

Osteoporosis

Fact image
Preventing Secondary Osteoporotic Fractures Yields Big Medicare Savings
Economic Burden, Economic Value

Osteoporosis

New osteoporotic fractures, mobidity, and mortality

Over 40% of Medicare FFS beneficiaries with a new osteoporotic fracture were hospitalized within a week after their fracture and nearly 20% died within 12 months following a new osteoporotic fracture.

Human Burden, Life Expectancy
Medicare Patients and Fractures Suffered in 2015

2 million Medicare patients suffered 2.3 Million fractures in 2015.

Prevalence & Incidence, Human Burden

Osteoporosis

Americans at risk for osteoporosis

54 million Americans age 50 and over either already have or are at risk of osteoporosis.

Prevalence & Incidence, Human Burden

Related Facts

  • Approximately 9 million adults in the U.S. have osteoporosis.  
  • Women who experience a vertebral fracture are 2 to 3 times more likely to die of pulmonary causes than women without a fracture.  
  • Fifty percent of people who fracture a hip will be unable to walk without assistance.  
  • Six months after a hip fracture, only 15% of patients can walk across a room without assistance.  
  • Of those who were ambulatory before their hip fracture, 1 in 5 end up needing long-term care afterwards–a situation that participants in this study said was less desirable than death.