By: James Pitt  May. 07, 2018
Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones lose density over time. It is more common in women than men. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 24.5% of women over 65 have osteoporosis. Bone fractures are an especially important risk of osteoporosis, as elderly people with bone fractures are more likely to die within two years.
A Dexur analysis examined how osteoporosis can affect the timing of readmissions for fractures, using 2013-2016 CMS claims data for women at 14 major hospitals in Iowa. Between 2013 and 2016, these hospitals discharged 141,802 Medicare-eligible women as inpatients. 29,042 of these women (20%) were discharged with osteoporosis.
Up to 30 days after discharge, 1.17% of women discharged with osteoporosis and 0.52% of women discharged with other conditions were readmitted with fractures. These rates increase roughly linearly with time. At 90 days, the readmissions rate for women discharged with osteoporosis is nearly twice what it was at 30 days.
When interpreting these rates, it is important to be aware that they are cumulative. The 90-day readmissions rate includes women readmitted within 60 days or 30 days.
The timing of readmissions is valuable information. First, many public reporting and payment programs use 30-day readmission rates as a quality measure. Second, the timing of readmissions can provide providers with useful information on unmet needs. If patients are more likely to be re-injured in a particular interval, providers can target interventions for that interval. See Dexur's primer on 30-day readmissions for more information.
A quick side note: May is National Osteoporosis Month. The National Osteoporosis Foundation provides prevention advice for people at risk of osteoporosis.