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Every year on October 20th, World Osteoporosis Day raises awareness about the importance of bone health, early detection, and preventing osteoporosis-related fractures. For health plans, it also presents an opportunity to evaluate strategies for improving post-fracture care and performance on the Osteoporosis Management in Women Who Had a Fracture (OMW) HEDIS measure. Unfortunately, osteoporosis often develops without noticeable symptoms until a fracture occurs. For older women, these fractures can have lasting consequences, including reduced mobility, loss of independence, and increased long-term care costs for health plans.
With the recent release of the 2027 CMS Star Ratings, national OMW performance remains unchanged, making timely osteoporosis screening and coordinated follow-up care important priorities for health plans heading into their 2027 quality improvement strategy meetings.
What the 2027 CMS Star Ratings Reveal About OMW Performance
According to the latest CMS Star Ratings data, average national performance for OMW remained at 2.8 Stars in both 2026 & 2027, indicating stagnant quality performance and continued opportunities to improve post-fracture osteoporosis care management. The OMW measure evaluates the percentage of eligible women ages 67-85 who experience a fracture and receive either a bone mineral density (BMD) test or appropriate osteoporosis medication within 180 days (six months) following the fracture.
OMW maintains its 1x-weight as a measure within the Medicare Advantage Star Ratings program. Although its weighting is lower than other outcome-based measures, improving OMW performance remains an important part of every health plans’ broader quality improvement strategies. For health plans, the challenge goes well beyond identifying eligible members. Effective gap closure requires timely outreach, efficient care coordination efforts, and accessible screening options within a relatively narrow post-fracture time frame.
Why Timely Osteoporosis Care Management Matters
Osteoporosis is typically characterized by reduced bone strength and increased susceptibility to fractures, with fractures serving as an important warning sign of underlying bone disease, particularly among older women. According to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), members who experience a fracture often face a substantially increased risk of subsequent fractures. Hip fractures in particular can contribute to long-term disability, reduced independence, and increased mortality rates. These downstream health complications further emphasize the need for appropriate osteoporosis evaluation and treatment following a fracture to help reduce the risk of future fractures.
For health plans, improving OMW adherence goes beyond meeting quality performance goals by supporting earlier intervention, better continuity of care, and helping members maintain their mobility and independence.
Closing OMW Care Gaps Requires More Accessible Screening Strategies
While the OMW measure provides a six-month window for a qualifying testing or treatment, completing the necessary follow-up care can be challenging for members recovering from a fracture. Common barriers include transportation difficulties, mobility limitations, appointment availability, and overall distance from their nearest healthcare provider. These challenges can be especially significant for older women who may already be managing multiple chronic conditions or require assistance traveling to medical appointments.
To improve OMW adherence, health plans can work to strengthen several components of their post-fracture care management strategies:
- Fracture Identification & Follow-Up: Use claims data, fracture alerts, and care management workflows that identify eligible members to initiate timely follow-up.
- Provider Coordination: Engage with your members’ primary care providers (PCPs) to support appropriate osteoporosis evaluation, testing, and treatment planning.
- Targeted Member Outreach: Leverage telephonic, SMS, and direct-mail communications to educate members about post-fracture care and encourage timely screening.
- Expanded Screening Access: Offer convenient in-home screening options that help reduce transportation and mobility barriers for eligible members.
Combining these strategies can help health plans improve member engagement, reduce missed screening opportunities, and strengthen overall OMW gap closure performance.
Better Bone Health Starts at Home
For older women recovering from a recent fracture, traveling to a healthcare facility for additional testing can create unnecessary barriers to care. Retina Labs partners with health plans to bring convenient bone density screenings directly to members' homes, reducing access barriers while supporting timely post-fracture care and OMW gap closure initiatives.
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In-Home Bone Density Screening with Retina Labs
Our comprehensive program combines member outreach, non-invasive screening, and results reporting into one seamlessly integrated care model.
Key program features include:
- Member Outreach & Scheduling: Coordinated engagement and in-home appointment scheduling to reach eligible members in a timely manner.
- In-Home Screening Visits: Convenient options for in-home visits with members by highly trained Retina Labs Field Technologists.
- Non-Invasive Screening Technology: Portable ultrasound bone densitometer equipment suitable for high-BMI members.
- Timely Results Reporting: Graphical bone health assessment T-Score reports generated within minutes following the completed screening.
- Closed-Loop Care Coordination: Screening results communicated directly to members and their primary care providers (PCPs) to support follow-up care plans.
By managing member outreach, appointment scheduling, in-home screenings, and results reporting, Retina Labs helps health plans close more OMW care gaps while enabling internal quality teams to focus on other priority measures and strategic initiatives.
Explore Our In-Home Bone Density Exam Program Brochure
Aligning OMW Gap Closure with Pay-for-Performance Pricing
Beyond expanding member access, health plans need cost-effective solutions that deliver measurable gap closure results. Retina Labs offers in-home bone density screenings through a fully at-risk, pay-for-performance model, ensuring health plans only pay for successfully completed screenings, with no fees for unsuccessful outreach or uncompleted appointments.
This structure provides health plans with a performance-focused approach to expanding screening access while maintaining financial accountability across their HEDIS gap closure initiatives.
World Osteoporosis Day: An Opportunity to Strengthen Your 2027 OMW Strategy
World Osteoporosis Day serves as an important reminder that effective osteoporosis management requires timely screening, coordinated follow-up care, and connecting members with appropriate treatment to reduce their risk of future fractures. With national OMW Star Ratings remaining unchanged between 2026 and 2027, health plans have an opportunity to reassess existing strategies and identify additional ways to improve post-fracture care.
Expanding access to in-home bone density screenings can complement traditional provider-based care, eliminate common care delivery barriers, and support more effective engagement while providing a better member experience. As health plans finalize their 2027 quality improvement strategies, prioritizing in-home bone density screenings for eligible post-fracture members can eliminate travel burdens, accommodate mobility limitations, and support timely follow-up care to improve OMW gap closure performance.
Looking to Strengthen Your OMW Performance?
Retina Labs is ready to help your health plan expand access to convenient, in-home bone density screenings through our fully at-risk, pay-for-performance model!
Connect With Our Team to Review Your OMW Gap Closure Strategy
References/Sources:
- CMS: 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Star Ratings
- Johns Hopkins Medicine: OMW HEDIS Measure
- International Osteoporosis Foundation: World Osteoporosis Day 2026
- International Osteoporosis Foundation: Osteoporosis Diagnosis
- International Osteoporosis Foundation: Global Health Crisis
- CMS: 2027 Medicare Advantage Final Rule
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