Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #99889

Irina Pikovskaya, PharmD¹, Rich Gallagher, MBA², Trent McLaughlin, PhD², Fred Cox, PhD¹, and Denise T. Kruzikas, PhD³. (1) Worldwide Medical & Outcomes Research, Pfizer, Inc., 235 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017, 212-733-5007, irina.pikovskaya@pfizer.com, (2) NDCHealth, 2394 East Camelback Road, Phoenix, AZ 85099, (3) Outcomes Research, NDCHealth, Two Lower Makefield Corporate Center, 1010 Stoney Hill Road, Suite 200, Yardley, PA 19067

Objective: To establish national bone fracture benchmarks for use in evaluating injury treatment patterns and costs. Methods: Claims data from over 1,200 US hospitals and clinics identified patients treated for bone fractures between 01/01/02-09/30/02. Descriptive analyses determined prevalence and treatment rates of all fractures, and characterized patients by age and gender. For most common fractures, linked medical and prescription data enabled longitudinal analyses of treatment rates, prescription activity, and costs. Treatment costs were analyzed by service type and time period. Results: Approximately 791,000 patients were treated fractures, resulting in a mean rate of 93 injuries per 10,000 patients. The eleven most common fracture types represented >90% of all fractures. Among patients £64 years of age, fractures were up to 52% more likely among males; among those >65 years, fractures were 79% more likely among females. Patients received an average of 4-9 prescriptions during treatment, per fracture type. The national bill was $17.3 billion for the most common fractures. The mean procedure cost of fracture treatment was $32,816, varying 83% across fracture types. Nearly two-thirds of total costs were incurred within six months of injury. Conclusions: While studies have provided overviews for various countries and many have focused on distinct fracture types or sub-populations, this research is among the first offering a national perspective of all bone fractures within the US. The national benchmarks provided by this work may be used by clinicians and decision makers when evaluating treatment and costs of fractures and other injuries across the United States.

Learning Objectives:

• Provide clinicians and policy with national bone fracture benchmarks for epidemiologic evaluations and comparisons.
• Identify prevalence, treatment patterns, and costs associated with bone fractures.
• Advance knowledge and awareness of bone fractures, the fifth most common reason for hospital admission and the sixth most costly condition treated in US community hospitals.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.