Facilities offer advanced treatment and prevention services

CONCORD TOWNSHIP, Ohio, March 18, 2010 - According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, one in two women and one in four men in the United States will develop osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become fragile and break. To address this critical health issue, Lake Health recently opened Osteoporosis Clinics at West Medical Center and TriPoint Medical Center to provide advanced multidisciplinary care for the treatment and prevention of metabolic bone disease.

The clinics offer comprehensive evaluation, screening and treatments, including patient education in the areas of nutrition, exercise, smoking cessation, and medication focused on the prevention and management of osteoporosis.  Additionally, the clinics provide technical and clinical excellence in the field of bone mass measurement testing. Both locations are equipped with Dual Energy X-ray Absortiometry (DEXA) machines—the most advanced technology for scanning weak/porous bones.

“Our osteoporosis program combines expert, patient-centered care with the latest technology,” said Mitchell Nahra, M.D., orthopedic surgeon and medical director of the Lake Health Osteoporosis Clinics. “Our primary goal is to help patients prevent fractures by stopping or slowing bone loss, maintaining bone strength and eliminating factors that contribute to falls.”

 

More than 25 million American have osteoporosis. The American Bone Health Prevalence Report states that more people in the United States suffer a fragility fracture each year than are diagnosed with a heart attack, stroke or breast cancer combined, and fractures are projected to significantly increase as the population ages. 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. That is, once a patient experiences a fracture, they are very like to get another one.

To help prevent future fractures, Lake Health has partnered with the American Orthopaedic Association’s Own the Bone™ Program. This nationally recognized quality improvement program aims to improve identification, evaluation and treatment for patients who suffer from an osteoporosis or low bone density-related fragility fracture (a broken bone that results from a fall from standing height or less). The program brings focus to the severe health implications of fragility fractures and the multi-faceted approach hospitals or clinics can employ to ensure these patients receive the most comprehensive care.

The Own the Bone Program utilizes a national Web-based registry that incorporates 10 measures for reducing future fractures and provides Lake Health with immediate feedback on program performance. Lake Health then uses this data to measure program success based on internal and national benchmarks.

“Osteoporosis can affect men and women of all ages. But the good news is that it’s never too late to start treating osteoporosis or too early to start preventing it,” explained Donna Kuta, a family nurse practitioner and clinical manager of Lake Health’s Osteoporosis Clinics. “With Own the Bone, we can ensure that our patients with fragility fractures are screened and appropriately treated for low bone density or osteoporosis.”

Lake Health’s Osteoporosis Clinics are open Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. A physician referral is required. For more information, call 440-354-1802 (TriPoint Medical Center) or 440-953-6030 (West Medical Center).

Lake Health’s dedication to providing high quality, compassionate women’s health services earned the health system prestigious recognition from HealthGrades, the nation’s leading provider of independent hospital ratings. Lake Health has been named among the top 5 percent of hospitals in the nation for Women’s Health and is the 2009-2010 recipient of the coveted Women’s Health Excellence Award.

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 aoassn.org or call 847-318-7336.