Attending Physician UCF College of Medicine Orlando, Florida, United States
Objectives: Osteoporotic fractures are a significant concern among postmenopausal women, leading to substantial healthcare costs. Pharmacologic management has been shown to reduce the incidence of fractures in this population. This study aims to evaluate the cost savings associated with pharmacologic management in preventing osteoporotic fractures among postmenopausal women.
Design: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis was done to assess the reduction of osteoporotic fractures due to pharmacologic intervention in postmenopausal female patients. The cost per fracture was determined based on published Medicare spending on fractures per beneficiary, weighted by the reported incidence of various fracture types.
Results: The average cost of fractures as previously reported is $8600 (95% CI: $6,400 to $10,800), with hip/femur fractures being the most expensive. Pharmacologic therapy significantly reduced fractures, with an overall relative risk of 0.62 (95% Cl: 0.56-0.68). The cost of pharmacologic therapy per beneficiary was $313.15 on average (Range: $42.24 to $11,091). Implementing pharmacologic therapy could lead to a $4.4 billion reduction in annual costs for osteoporotic fractures, reaching as high as $15.4 billion when accounting for total annual costs, with bisphosphonates being the most cost-effective pharmacotherapy. Over 10 years, pharmacologic therapy could result in $424 billion in healthcare cost savings.
Conclusions: Pharmacologic therapy is a cost-effective approach to significantly reducing the economic burden of osteoporotic fractures among postmenopausal women. Our findings underscore the importance of broadening access to and the affordability of these therapies through comprehensive, system-wide initiatives. By adopting these strategies, healthcare systems can not only improve patient outcomes but also realize substantial cost savings, ultimately enhancing the sustainability of care for aging populations."
