The National Osteoporosis Foundation's Interdisciplinary Symposium on Osteoporosis to Provide the Latest, Clinically-Relevant Information on the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Osteoporosis

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Osteoporosis Foundation's (NOF) annual meeting, the Interdisciplinary Symposium on Osteoporosis (ISO) 2014, taking place in New Orleans from April 23-26, has attracted the world's top leaders to present the latest clinically-relevant and evidence-based information on the prevention, diagnosis and prevention of osteoporosis. New this year, the meeting will include a training and certificate program for the fracture liaison service (FLS) model of care, a coordinated preventive care model that operates under the supervision of a bone health specialist and collaborates with the patient's primary care physician.

Osteoporosis is responsible for approximately two million fractures every year, yet less than 25 percent of older women who suffer from a fracture are tested or treated for osteoporosis. The solution to changing the nearly 75 percent care gap in existence today is the widespread implementation of FLS programs. Over the past 15 years of operation in the U.S. and internationally, the FLS model of care has been proven to improve patient outcomes and significantly reduce the incidence of secondary fractures.

"There is a critical need for effective post-fracture prevention and care coordination programs in the U.S. to protect the estimated 52 million Americans over the age of 50 at risk for osteoporosis and broken bones," said Robert Recker, M.D., president of the National Osteoporosis Foundation. "NOF's comprehensive Fracture Prevention Curriculum will help spark widespread implementation of the FLS model of care, which we know is the key to reducing the two million bone breaks caused by osteoporosis every year."

Additional ISO14 highlights include:

• A session on bone health lessons from space featuring Nicole Stott, Astronaut, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
• Highlights from NOF's newly revised Clinician's Guide to Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis. The must-have tool was updated and released in early April to include new and updated  information on vertebral imaging, duration of treatment, calcium, vitamin D and osteoporosis medications, as well as an expanded discussion on biochemical markers of bone turnover and an evaluation of secondary causes of osteoporosis.
• CME credit, sessions and networking opportunities to benefit all medical disciplines and specialties involved in treating patients with and at-risk for osteoporosis and broken bones.
• Plenary, workshop and breakout sessions exploring the most important economic and health system challenges to the widespread implementation of the FLS model of care.

As part of the new FLS curriculum, NOF's annual meeting will offer a pre-conference symposium covering FLS basics, database issues and practice concerns. A hands-on skill-building workshop and 13 plenaries and sessions are also included in the meeting's FLS track. Participants who complete the entire track will receive a Certificate of Completion from NOF and acquire skills to address the most important business and structural challenges to improving patient outcomes through coordinated care programs.

The comprehensive FLS curriculum is designed to help doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered nurses and other healthcare professionals navigate the complicated coordination of care across hospitals, medical offices and multiple medical specialties in the community to ensure that fracture patients receive appropriate osteoporosis testing, diagnosis, treatment and ongoing support after they leave the hospital.

"By training healthcare professionals to implement an FLS model of care, we have the ability to spare millions of Americans the pain and suffering of broken bones and improve their quality of life," said Amy Porter, executive director and CEO of NOF.

About the National Osteoporosis Foundation 
Established in 1984, the National Osteoporosis Foundation is the nation's leading bone health organization dedicated to preventing osteoporosis and broken bones, promoting strong bones for life and reducing human suffering through programs of awareness, education, advocacy and research. For more information on the National Osteoporosis Foundation, visit www.nof.org.  

NOF has been resurveyed by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and awarded Accreditation with Commendation as a provider of continuing medical education for physicians and is a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

Contact:
Claire Gill, NOF
202.721.6341
[email protected]

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SOURCE National Osteoporosis Foundation

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