RPJ FLS

Passing this amazing resource along to help anyone with questions related to Medicare plans, traditional versus advantage plans, supplement plans, drug plans etc. I personally and professionally have gained valuable guidance for my patients especially those with chronic diseases. Passion for helping people and that is what we work for everyday!

Christopher Westfall - YouTube Christopher's office can be reached at 1-800-729-9590 or online at https://SeniorSavingsNetwork.org Christopher Westfall runs the SeniorSavingsNetwork.org wh...

Here's some good news. Cap to be placed on out of pocket costs for prescriptions for Medicare patients. Medicare will also be able to negotiate drug prices (starting with only 10 drugs for now). Good to see some progress being made to help make treatments more affordable.
https://youtu.be/e1cwiy9ZFhc

Senate Passes Medicare Rx Max Out of Pocket Limit! The Senate has passed a $2,000 Maximum Out of Pocket on seniors spending on Prescription Drugs. The problem is that this will not start until 2025.For update...

Three Week Zoom Exercise Program for Osteoporosis — Bone Talk In honor of May’s Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, a three week 45 minute exercise class will be offered weekly beginning on Tuesday, April 26, at 4pm Eastern Time. It was developed for those who are looking to learn how to strength train and stretch safely with osteoporosis.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40520-022-02100-4
Great paper regarding osteoporosis treatment sequencing for patients at high risk of fracture. This position paper was written by a working group for The European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO).

Management of patients at very high risk of osteoporotic fractures through sequential treatments - Aging Clinical and Experimental Research Osteoporosis care has evolved markedly over the last 50 years, such that there are now an established clinical definition, validated methods of fracture risk assessment and a range of effective pharmacological agents. Currently, bone-forming (anabolic) agents, in many countries, are used in those pa...

Osteoporosis: Knowing – and Owning – Your Numbers As with so many things, when it comes to aging, what’s on the inside ultimately matters most.

Looking for employment? There are 2 sites looking for full time FLS clinicians. Please let us know if you are interested in working Virginia or South Carolina.

Good News! Yesterday, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) introduced HR 3517 the Increasing Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2021 with Reps. Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Michael Burgess M.D. (TX-26), and Jackie Walorski (IN-02) to improve access to osteoporosis screening.

As you know, fractures caused by osteoporosis are among the most significant challenges threatening the independence and quality of life for older Americans. We need your help TODAY contacting members of the US House in support of HR 3517.

Please click on the link below to send a QUICK email urging members to co-sponsor this critical legislation.

Thank you for your continued involvement in our grassroots efforts. Please share this alert with your staff, friends and colleagues to amplify our message and create even greater support for this important issue.

Click the link below to log in and send your message:
https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/GRVRsAf__HhD2VpAfONDhw

For more information, go to:

https://larson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/larson-introduces-bill-make-osteoporosis-screening-more-accessible?fbclid=IwAR0xzJa-MIwMcqSU2mfkSRRSdzqPsGnJo93VEngX2EnUbeAHWLNdoLIKaH8

Have you been doing virtual visits as part of your FLS during the pandemic? Doing so improves access to quality care and improves patient satisfaction.

Virtual fracture liaison clinics in the COVID era: an initiative to maintain fracture prevention services during the pandemic associated with positive patient experience Summary We introduced virtual fracture liaison clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to support clinical care while DXA services were down-turned. We observed that virtual FLS clinics are effective in delivering fracture risk assessment, health promotion, and clinical management and are well...

Here's the awesome agenda from the American Society of Spine Radiology Symposium. Great speakers discussing the osteoporosis care gap and secondary fracture prevention. How exciting!

Our team of FLS implementation experts includes:
Anne Lake, DNP, CEO
Dudley Phipps, PA-C, COO
Clayton LaBaume, PA-C, CIO
Linda Bowka, Executive Director
Bob Understein, CFO

About RPJ FLS:
Our FLS experts will pull from a tool kit of evidence-based resources to help you build or optimize a successful and sustainable FLS program whether you are a private practice, an academic institution or an integrated health system.
-Complete client needs analysis
-Gain C-Suite buy in and support
-Address financial considerations of program budget and ROI
-Run baseline audit of fracture patients to assess scope of program
-Assemble group of Key Stakeholders, led by a designated champion, to guide and provide input on implementation of FLS program
-Build customized Business Plan with clearly defined goals and a plan to measure goals
-Choose registry for data capture
-Educate on billing and coding specific to FLS
-Implement & meet measures to demonstrate value for eventual accreditation and reimbursement
-Build customized Clinical Care Pathway (CCP) to take patient from identification to initiation of treatment
-Develop customized FLS workflow and clinic logistics to determine how patients will be identified and worked up and managed
-Optimize EHR for CCP/FLS
-Educate and support of FLS Coordinator and staff
-Share best practices in marketing your FLS within your organization and externally in your community
-Follow up and trouble-shoot for FLS site at pre-specified intervals going forward

Our Vision/Goals
We join the National Osteoporosis Foundation and the National Institute of Health’s “Pathways to Prevention” program to achieve a goal of fracture risk reduction by 2023 through Population Health. Our company’s vision and goals align with this effort. We strive to:
-Reduce the Care Gap that exists for 80% of patients who sustain a fracture; are never worked up for the underlying cause of the fracture or initiated on any treatment and experience increased morbidity & mortality
-Expand the nationwide implementation and optimization of Fracture Liaison Service programs and protocols, which are a demonstrated solution to address this Gap in Care
-Mandate that Fracture Liaison Service programs or secondary fracture prevention protocols exist in every practice or organization that treats patients who have sustained a fracture due to osteoporosis
-Ensure all patients who have sustained a fracture have access through a Clinical Care Pathway to a FLS or a provider who adheres to a secondary fracture prevention protocol
-Improve identification of patients at risk for fracture by increasing number of and reimbursement for DXA screening
-Reduce the incidence of subsequent fractures in patients by 50% through the use of approved pharmacologic treatments
-Standardize the guidelines for Osteoporosis Treatment
-Reduce healthcare costs associated with secondary fractures currently estimated to be $6.3 Billion per year and rising
-Train more Advanced Practice Providers to assume the role of FLS Coordinators
-Improve and expand utilization & reimbursement of Telemedicine technology in FLS Clinics

https://www.rpjfls.com/our-services

The current post-fracture standard of care is lacking.
In September 2019, the National Osteoporosis Foundation released a report that outlines the clinical and human impact of osteoporotic fractures on the Medicare population. The following key findings from the report show the need for increased focus on post-fracture care:

Approximately 2.3 million osteoporotic fractures were suffered by 2 million Americans covered by Medicare in 2015.
Only 9 percent of women covered by Medicare FFS who suffered an osteoporotic fracture were screened for osteoporosis with a bone mineral density test within six months following their fracture. Other evidence shows that fewer than 20% receive effective treatments post-fracture.
Over 40 percent of Medicare FFS beneficiaries with a new osteoporotic fracture were hospitalized within a week after their fracture and nearly 20 percent died within 12 months following a new osteoporotic fracture.

The report concludes that reducing between 5 percent and 20 percent of these “secondary” fractures in 2015 could have reduced Medicare FFS spending by $310 million to $1.2 billion over a follow-up period that lasted up to 2 to 3 years after a new osteoporotic fracture.

A fracture liaison service (FLS) is a cost effective solution, proven to prevent future fractures. A FLS is a champion-led care model that works to coordinate post fracture osteoporosis care. A FLS educates patients and the care team about osteoporosis, investigates fracture risk and secondary causes of osteoporosis (which may include laboratory evaluation, bone density testing, and fall risk assessment), and initiates pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment strategies to reduce the risk of secondary fractures. A FLS tracks patients in a registry to ensure continuity of care, compliance, and ongoing quality improvement. The FLS also communicates the plan of care to the care team, including the primary care provider.