Cost-effectiveness of two inexpensive postfracture osteoporosis interventions: results of a randomized trial

This report has been verified by one or more authors of the original publication.

4264 patients who had recently suffered a major osteoporotic fracture were randomized to receive one of two mail-based interventions: a letter addressed to their primary care physician, or a letter addressed to both the patient and their primary care physician, which contained general information on the treatment of osteoporosis and the reasons behind its effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to determine if these inexpensive interventions proved to be cost-effective over a lifetime. Results indicated that the physician + patient intervention resulted in decreased total lifetime costs and increased quality-adjusted-life-years, compared to both the physician-only intervention and usual care.