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July 22, 2008

Osteoporosis Center one of only 40 internationally accredited

Haywood Regional Medical Center’s Osteoporosis Center has been awarded accreditation from the Commission on the Accreditation of Skeletal Assessment. HRMC was one of only 40 applicants internationally to be accepted in this program.

Earning the accreditation means HRMC’s Osteoporosis Center has attained a significant measure of excellence in the provision of skeletal assessment services.

The honor comes when the center is experiencing its second busiest time on record. The center has had more than 200 patients this month, which is an average of 15 patients per day.

The staff of Haywood Regional Medical Center’s Osteoporosis Center include Mary Underwood, Beth Worsham, Hannah Bryson and coordinator Jeannie Shaffer.

The performance of all staff is assessed as part of the accreditation process. Quality control and quality assurance of equipment, accuracy and precision of the scans generated, and the interface with patients and referring physicians are part of the accreditation process. The accreditation will remain in effect for three years.

The entire clinical staff of Osteoporosis Center has been individually certified by the International Society of Clinical Densitometry in clinical densitometry and function as active members in this non-profit medical society. Site accreditation is a new measure of excellence. The HRMC Osteoporosis Center has been awaiting the opportunity to demonstrate that their program meets these standards, said center coordinator Jeannie Shaffer.

“We have always known we have a center of excellence. Achieving ISCD accreditation was an opportunity to confirm it,” Shaffer said. “I feel as if our center embodies the hospital’s mission statement — to provide personalized, compassionate, quality healthcare.”

The nature of the center’s patients requires commitment, after a diagnosis of low bone density, as osteoporosis is not curable but is treatable and preventable, she said.

Margaret Corvette, 82, learned she has osteoporosis for the first time when she received a bone density test at HRMC. She had moved to Haywood County from Charleston, S.C. 12 years ago and doctors there had never mentioned the need for a bone density test, she said, not even after she began taking chemotherapy treatments when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Chemotherapy and radiation can contribute to bone loss after exposure. One of chemotherapy’s side effects is ovarian failure, or early menopause, which can lead to osteoporosis, or thinning of the bones. This makes women more susceptible to fractures.

“One in two women and one in four men will suffer a fracture due to osteoporosis during their lifetime,” said Shaffer.

Corvette broke an ankle in 1995 and then broke the other ankle ten years later. Since having a bone density test at HRMC’s Osteoporosis Center and beginning treatment, she has been able to slow down the bone loss.

“I can’t tell it, but my tests show positive results,” Corvette said. “As long as I eat right and exercise and I am careful, I don’t expect to break anything else. These girls take good care of me,” she said, referring to the staff of the Osteoporosis Center.

Medicare will pay for a bone density test every two years, or every year if a doctor determines it is necessary.

Osteoporosis is a progressive disease that causes bones to become brittle, weak and thus susceptible to fracture. The older a person becomes, the greater his or her risk of osteoporosis because bones become thinner and weaker with aging. Although women over the age of 45, especially postmenopausal women, are at greater risk for developing osteoporosis, men are also at risk.

The motivation for pursing ISCD accreditation include:
•Protecting the public with quality patient management.
•Minimizing the possibility of misdiagnosis due to differences in technology, acquisition, reference databases, reporting and terminology between facilities.
•Guarding against misinterpretation due to random variability inherent in measurements.
•Reassuring the public that clinicians and technologists meet the highest standards achievable based on current scientific knowledge.
•Insuring legal compliance with regulatory standards.

“Haywood Regional Medical Center has always been supportive of the Osteoporosis Center in its taking a leadership role in osteoporosis care services,” said HRMC Chief Executive Officer Al Byers.

The Osteoporosis Center at Haywood Regional Medical Center was established in 1992 and is dedicated to the prevention, detection and treatment of osteoporosis, offering a range of services, including risk assessment, nutrition counseling, physical and occupational therapy.

HRMC’s Osteoporosis Center ranks among the most comprehensive treatment programs in the state, with a multi-disciplinary team of doctors, dietitians, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists and social workers. Shaffer and Mary Underwood, one of the center’s registered nurses, have recently taken a newly offered advanced densitometry exam.

Quality of all bone density studies is overseen by Dr. Kate Queen, a rheumatologist with more than 18 years’ experience as the center’s medical director. Queen also is certified by ISCD as a certified clinical densitometrist.

“Preventing fractures is much more than managing bone density. We have always worked to develop diverse programming to address fall and fracture prevention and to provide access to care and information,” Queen said.

The HRMC Osteoporosis Center also offers a unique outreach program that provides a mobile unit containing equipment to test bone density. The mobile unit is transported to scheduled sites in Western North Carolina. Additionally, the center provides screenings and education at health fairs and special events, to reach off-campus patients.

Bones and Balance, specialized exercise classes tailored to the needs of osteoporosis patients, are held at the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center. There is a free monthly Walking Tall community education program held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every third Wednesday of the month from January through October at the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center, with speakers from the medical community. Ongoing education for the medical community is provided through seminars featuring nationally known authorities on bone health.

The Osteoporosis Center and Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center are currently offering a six-week Walk with Ease program. Researchers at the Biomedical Institutional Review Board of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are studying people suffering from arthritis, joint pain or stiffness to determine if exercise, particularly walking, can help alleviate those problems. The center also is working with a physical therapy club at Western Carolina University to review articles concerning falls published in medical journals.

The center provides professionals to speak to local organizations at no cost and provides information and screenings at health fairs and other events. Staff of the center also publish a newsletter and maintain a comprehensive Osteoporosis Educational Web site. Staff members have participated in research programs with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Western Carolina University. HRMC’s Osteoporosis Center has been featured in two PBS documentaries aired nationwide.

Appointments, with a physician referral, can be scheduled by calling 452-8999.