Utility of a bone health clinic in bridging the osteoporosis care gap: Prescribing habit review at an academic institution

Abstract

Objective To analyze osteoporosis medication prescribing trends across specialties in the context of a Bone Health Clinic. Introduction Osteoporosis affects over 10 million adults in the US, taking a significant toll on patients and the healthcare system. Although screening methods and treatments are improving, the disease remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. This study aims to evaluate the prescribing trends of osteoporosis medication among department specialties to delineate the benefits of a bone health clinic. Methods Retrospective data collection identified and analyzed patients within the Penn State Health system prescribed one of the following osteoporosis medications: Bisphosphonate, denosumab, romosozumab, teriparatide, abaloparatide, or raloxifene. Date range: 4/18/2016 to 4/14/2021. Data collection identified the specialty origin of prescriptions for osteoporosis medications across various medical specialties (e.g., orthopaedics, family medicine, and internal medicine). Results 10,736 prescription orders were issued to patients with an average age of 68 years. Non-Hispanic Caucasian patients received 88.6% of prescriptions, followed by Asian (3.4%) and African American (2.2%). Female patients accounted for 87.8% of all prescriptions. The Bone Health Clinic under two orthopaedic providers wrote 3,619 prescriptions, averaging 361.9 prescriptions per provider per year—marking the highest rate among specialties. The clinic prescriptions constituted 33.7% of all prescriptions across specialties. Orthopaedic surgery prescribed the most denosumab, romosozumab, teriparatide, and abaloparatide prescriptions, and had the highest number of male osteoporosis patients compared to other specialties (15.6%), consequently prescribing the most male prescriptions (578). Conclusion Establishing a bone health clinic dedicated to osteoporosis management leads to significantly higher prescription rates per provider, increased utilization of anabolic therapies compared to other specialties, and more male patients being treated—an often-neglected population in osteoporosis.