Osteoporosis Screening and Treatment Among Veterans with Recent Fracture After Implementation of an Electronic Consult Service

Fewer than 24 % of Veterans received appropriate evaluation and/or treatment for osteoporosis within 6 months of an index fracture. An electronic consult (E-consult) service was implemented at three Veterans Affairs Medical Centers to facilitate the identification of and recommend management for patients with recent fracture. The E-consult service used clinical encounter data based on ICD9 diagnosis codes to prospectively identify patients with potential osteoporotic fractures. Eligible patients' medical records were reviewed by a metabolic bone specialist, and an E-consult note was sent to the patient's primary provider with specific recommendations for further management. Recommendations were initiated at the provider's discretion. Between 2011 and 2013, the E-consult service identified 444 eligible patients with a low-trauma fracture who were not already on treatment. One hundred twenty-nine (29.1 %) consults recommended immediate bisphosphonate treatment, and 258 (58.1 %) recommended bone density assessments. Primary providers responded by prescribing bisphosphonates in 74 patients (57.4 %) and by ordering bone density testing in 183 (70.9 %) patients. At the facility level, prior to implementation of the E-consult service, the rate of osteoporosis treatment following a fracture was 4.8 % for bisphosphonates and 21.3 % for calcium/vitamin D. After implementation, the treatment rate increased to 7.3 % for bisphosphonates (p = 0.02) and 35.2 % for calcium/vitamin D (p < 0.01). While feasible and relatively low-cost, an E-consult service modestly improved the rate of osteoporosis treatment among patients with a recent fracture. These results suggest that a program with direct patient interaction is probably required to substantially improve treatment rates.