The Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute (ABJHI) is pleased to announce the Bone and Joint Health Strategic Clinical Network’s Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) teams are the proud recipients of the Alberta Health Services 2018 President’s Excellence Award for Innovation and Research—part of an annual recognition program for individuals and teams demonstrating highest standards in innovation, collaboration and patient-centred care.
An FLS program is a systematic model of care designed to restore quality of life to hip fracture patients and prevent subsequent fractures. By contacting hip fracture patients and their primary care providers up to 12-months post-hip fracture, FLS teams in Alberta are able to initiate and facilitate adherence to osteoporosis treatment and fall prevention strategies in order to prevent additional fractures. At 12 months, FLS teams hand over management of bone health back to primary care providers. ABJHI provides management and support services for the FLS programs across Alberta.
Starting in 2015, Misericordia Community Hospital was the first site within Alberta to establish an FLS program. As of spring 2018, FLS programs have been implemented at a further five hospitals in Alberta—Peter Lougheed Centre, Red Deer Regional Hospital, University of Alberta Hospital, Royal Alexandra Hospital, and Foothills Medical Centre—with a commitment to spread programs province-wide.
FLS teams within Alberta have another cause for celebration: Alberta Health has updated the drug benefit criteria for zoledronic acid and denosumab, two key primary osteoporosis medications. The Blue Cross coverage changes, which improve patient eligibility, will allow health care providers greater clinical selection in the management of a patient’s bone health. It is through the Bone and Joint Health Strategic Clinical Network’s continued impassioned, collaborative discussions that change is championed.
As of April 2018, over 2,400 hip fracture patients have been enrolled within an FLS program in Alberta. The contributions of each FLS team are also showcased on the Osteoporosis Canada national FLS registry. It is through the dedication of the FLS teams in Alberta that secondary prevention measures provide patient-focused and sustainable osteoporosis care. With an ever-growing aging population, the need for such innovation is only set to increase.
Further information about FLS programs is available via a recorded webinar on the AHS YouTube Channel: Fracture Liaison Service