Case manager intervention for hip fracture patients

Most patients hospitalized with hip fracture have intervention by a case manager to troubleshoot payment issues, discharge planning, post hospital rehab and the like. Why not take it further? A group of Canadian investigators asked case managers to follow up on hip fracture patients and see that they got proper osteoporosis treatment. In a study from 2007 they showed that the intervention was associated with an increased rate of evidence based osteoporosis treatment post hip fracture. This year they published their outcomes data:

The intervention cost CaD $56 per patient. Compared with usual care, the intervention strategy was dominant: for every 100 patients case managed, 6 fractures (4 hip fractures) were prevented, 4 quality-adjusted life-years were gained, and CaD $260 000 was saved by the health care system.

Dynamite. That this would be a worthwhile quality project is a no-brainer. Don’t expect an easy time convincing your administration, though, because it’s not a publicly reported core measure.