The direct medical costs of osteoporosis for American women aged 45 and older, 1986.

Annual direct medical costs of osteoporosis incurred by American women aged 45 and older are estimated at $5.2 billion in 1986. Costs are stratified by type of care (inpatient hospital, nursing home and outpatient) and by age group (ages 45 to 59, 60 to 74 and 75 and older). Survey data from the National Center for Health Statistics are combined with census data to project utilization estimates from the survey years to 1986. A portion of all health care encounters for diagnoses secondary to osteoporosis are considered to be caused by osteoporosis according to age- and diagnosis-specific attribution weights. These weights are derived from the opinion of a panel of osteoporosis experts. For inpatient hospitalization, the assigned diagnosis related group (DRG) is used to further specify osteoporosis as the cause of hospitalization. The cost components of osteoporosis care for American women in 1986 are inpatient care, $2.8 billion; nursing home care, $2.1 billion; and outpatient care, $0.2 billion. Study results suggest considerable potential future cost-savings of osteoporosis prevention and abatement.