April 2018 Fall Prevention: Resources for Providers and Members
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico (BCBSNM) Preventive Care Guidelines support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S Preventative Services Task Force initiatives to address fall prevention. New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD) and the Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) track and monitor fall risk and prevention on a quarterly basis. Falls are a growing danger because Americans are living longer than ever. According to the CDC, every second, an older adult falls; every 20 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall. With one in four Americans 65 or older falling each year, adult falls result in more than 2.8 million injuries treated in emergency rooms, 800,000 hospitalizations, and 27,000 deaths each year. The cost of fall injuries in the United States totaled $31 billion in 2014. According to New Mexico Department of Health, adult falls were: - The third leading cause of injury death in New Mexico in 2014
- The leading cause of injury hospitalization
- The leading cause of injury death for residents 65 and older
Health Care Providers can do the following: - Identify and screen high-risk patients who present with an acute fall, have a history of two falls in the past year, or have gait or imbalance problems.
- Ask three simple questions:
- Have you fallen in the past year?
- Do you feel unsteady when standing or walking?
- Do you worry about falling?
- Review and manage medications
- Evaluate balance, vision, and for presence of orthostatic hypotension.
- Ask about the home environment and footwear.
- Recommend vitamin D for bone, muscle and nerve health.
- Educate patients on fall prevention, and encourage exercise for strength and balance.
- Consider implementing STEADI algorithm into electronic health records system.
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