The Daily Dose
Screening for Osteoporosis Is Critical for Women’s Health
Screening of older women for osteoporosis is a critical step in avoiding disease progression and fractures. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, women older than 65 years of age should undergo screening by periodic dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans, and those who have risk factors for the disease should be screened even earlier.
Indeed, the National Committee for Quality Assurance NCQA) considers this screening so important that it is proposing a new HEDIS measure, Osteoporosis Screening in Older Women (OSW), for measurement year 2020 (to replace the Osteoporosis Testing in Older Women [OTO] measure). This new measure is defined as the percentage of women 65-75 years of age who are screened for osteoporosis.
CDPHP is easing access to screening for Capital Region patients* whose lack of mobility or access to transportation prevents them from receiving this routine scan. Once the current COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, a specially trained case manager can screen your patients in the privacy of their own home using a portable MiniOmniTM sonometer. A copy of the scan will then be sent to your office for your interpretation. To learn more about this service, please contact your provider relations specialist.
*Those who live within 60 miles of CDPHP headquarters.
Adele O'Connell About the Author
Adele joined CDPHP in 2004 as an internal communications and event specialist. She then spent eight years coordinating the company’s community relations and corporate events program, in which capacity she worked with a host of non-profit organizations and co-chaired the CDPHP annual Charity of Choice campaign. Currently, she is a communications specialist and coordinator of corporate member engagement and serves on the boards of two local charities. Prior to CDPHP, Adele served as a legislative assistant for a trade association and as an acquisitions and developmental editor, specializing in educational and medical publishing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Rosemont College.
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