Founding and Milestones

NOF has had a direct, positive impact on the lives of men and women, alerting a nation to a major public health threat and helping the patients and families who need support. Learn more.

The Founding of the National Osteoporosis Foundation

In April 1984, the National Institutes of Health held a Consensus Development Conference on Osteoporosis*. The conference panel was led by William A. Peck, MD. In 1984, Dr. Peck was serving as Simon Professor, Washington University School of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief, The Jewish Hospital of St. Louis. The consensus panel included medical representatives of orthopedics, endocrinology, gynecology, rheumatology, epidemiology, nutrition, biochemistry, family medicine, and the general public. The panel considered current scientific knowledge on osteoporosis and agreed on answers to the following key questions:

• What is osteoporosis?
• What are the clinical features of osteoporosis, and how is it detected?
• Who is at risk for developing osteoporosis?
• What are the possible causes of osteoporosis?
• How can osteoporosis be prevented and treated?
• What are the directions for future research?

At the conclusion of the NIH Consensus Conference, a press briefing attended by representatives of the print and broadcast media was held. In the ensuing months there were numerous articles, newspaper stories, and television programs related to the findings announced by the consensus panel. As a result, major academic health centers nationwide received thousands of calls from patients and physicians alike who asked for more information on optimum approaches to the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

This activity led to a decision by Dr. Peck, a past president of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research, to call a meeting of leading researchers in the field of osteoporosis to discuss the overwhelming public and professional interest in the disease, and to offer a strategy for responding to this broad interest. The result of this meeting led, in December 1984, to the establishment of The Osteoporosis Foundation, a national nonprofit voluntary health organization solely dedicated to osteoporosis and bone health. The organization was renamed the NOF in 1985.

The milestones identified below highlight examples of NOF’s strong strides in advancing osteoporosis awareness, education, research and advocacy.

1984

In April, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) holds a Consensus Development Conference on Osteoporosis. The panel considers current scientific knowledge on osteoporosis and agrees on answers to several key questions about osteoporosis. The Osteoporosis Foundation is formed. The name changed to National Osteoporosis Foundation in 1985.

1985

Federal legislation designating the first National Osteoporosis Prevention Week in May passes in Congress. NOF develops and disseminates materials for the week. NOF now coordinates efforts related to National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, recognized each May.

1986

NOF begins operation in Washington, D.C.

1990

NOF, in partnership with the International Osteoporosis Foundation, begins publishing Osteoporosis International, a monthly, scientific journal dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment and management of osteoporosis.

1991

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) publishes Osteoporosis Research, Education and Health Promotion, a detailed review of its activities directed at reducing the prevalence of osteoporosis, in response to a directive of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee.

1992

NOF successfully advocates for the passage of the “1992 Revitalization Act,” authorizing NIH to establish an information clearinghouse for osteoporosis and related bone diseases, which becomes the NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases~National Resource Center.

1993

NOF creates and begins promoting the adoption of model state laws for osteoporosis prevention and treatment education programs and coverage of bone mineral density testing. More than 30 states have passed these laws.

1994

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases awards a competitive grant to NOF to establish the NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases~National Resource Center in partnership with the Paget Foundation and Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation. The NIH National Resource Center’s mission is to expand awareness and enhance knowledge and understanding of the prevention, early detection and treatment of osteoporosis and related bone diseases. NOF continues to operate the Center for 13 years.

NOF holds an International Symposium on Osteoporosis (ISO), bringing together a faculty of internationally-renowned experts to share state-of-the-art information and research on bone health and osteoporosis prevention, diagnosis and treatment with hundreds of healthcare professionals. The ISO is the only scientific meeting in the United States to focus on osteoporosis and bone health across the lifespan. NOF continues to host the ISO.

1995

NOF establishes the Interspecialty Medical Council (IMC) to provide a diverse and important perspective on issues of common concern around osteoporosis and bone health relating to professional practice, education and public policy among others.

NOF publishes its first prevalence report, revealing that 44 million women and men age 50 and older in the U.S. have or are at risk for developing osteoporosis due to low bone density. NOF creates the Professional Partners Network® (PPN), a community-based network of affiliated hospitals, women’s clinics, physician practices and other organizations providing osteoporosis prevention and treatment services. Members receive the latest scientific and medical updates as well as patient education materials to support their clinical practice and provide the best possible care for patients.

1998

NOF publishes the first clinical practice guidelines for osteoporosis, which were endorsed by the majority of the IMC members. The Medicare Bone Mass Measurement Coverage Standardization Act goes into effect, giving women and men age 65 and older who are at risk for osteoporosis access to bone density testing.

NOF leads the effort to secure $3 million for the first phase of a multimillion dollar National Bone Health Campaign aimed at girls ages 9-12 and their parents.

2000

NOF leads efforts to include an “osteoporosis section” in Healthy People 2010, the nation’s blueprint for public health policy and programs.

2001

The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force releases a recommendation that follows NOF guidelines and recommends that women aged 65+ have a bone density test.

2002

NOF publishes “America’s Bone Health: The State of Osteoporosis and Low Bone Mass In Our Nation” as an update to its first prevalence report. The report reveals that by the year 2010, an estimated 52 million people age 50 and older will have osteoporosis or low bone mass.

2003

Since the early 1990s, NOF has been recommending, commenting on and monitoring the progress of the National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA) to produce a Health Employer Data Information System (HEDIS), a quality of health care measure for osteoporosis. NCQA releases a new measure that estimates the percentage of women age 67 and older in Medicare plans who, within six months after suffering a fracture, had either been given a bone mineral density test or a prescription for a drug to treat or prevent osteoporosis.

NOF is one of three grantees of the U.S. DHHS Administration on Aging responsible for developing a strategy to raise awareness about osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

2004

Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., U.S. Surgeon General, releases Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of theSurgeon General, calling for the nation to recognize the challenges of osteoporosis prevention, diagnosis and treatment, while urging improvement in health provider education, public awareness promotion and access to key health services.

NOF successfully advocates for federal funding for osteoporosis research as part of the National Coalition for Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases. At NIH, osteoporosis research funding increases to more than $190 million and at the U.S. Department of Defense, osteoporosis research is funded through two programs.

2005

NOF efforts are significant in helping to increase federal funding for osteoporosis research from $5 million in 1986 to more than $191 million in 2005.

2007

NOF and the Society for Women’s Health Research hold a briefing on Capitol Hill to inform lawmakers about recent advances in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Actress Sally Field, an osteoporosis patient and advocate, speaks at the briefing and encourages women to protect themselves against fractures.

2008

In February, NOF releases its Clinician’s Guide to Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis. The Guide helps U.S. healthcare providers make better prevention and treatment decisions and assess fracture risk for patients with low bone mass or osteoporosis. The Guide applies the recently released algorithm on absolute fracture risk, FRAX™, prepared by the World Health Organization and adapted by NOF for the U. S.

In May, NOF launches the Legends of Osteoporosis lecture to honor prominent researchers in the field of osteoporosis.

In June, the National Coalition for Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases, a coalition comprised of leaders of four national bone organizations (NOF, American Society of Bone Mineral Research, the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation and the Paget Foundation) meet in Washington, D.C. for a national summit to develop a coordinated national action plan to promote bone health. NOF releases the first professional guide to health insurance coverage of osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment, A Reference Guide for Osteoporosis Reimbursement Policy for Healthcare Professionals.

In September, NOF published a new billing and reimbursement guide to assist healthcare professionals with reimbursement issues that may be encountered in treating patients with osteoporosis. The guide begins with an introduction to osteoporosis and a brief overview of coding, coverage and payment for the procedures, services and medications related to this condition. A reimbursement tools section includes many items to help navigate coverage and reimbursement issues with public and private payers.

In October, NOF published a Spanish translation of its 100-page patient handbook,Boning Up on Osteoporosis: A Guide to Prevention and Treatment (Edúquese sobre la Osteoporosis: Guía de prevención y tratamiento).

2009

In January, the National Action Plan for Bone Health: Recommendations from the Summit for a National Action Plan for Bone Health was published. This report was a direct outcome of the June 2008 National Action Plan for Bone Health summit that NOF and the National Coalition for Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases hosted in Washington, D.C.

In April, NOF sponsored one of the foremost international clinical meetings on osteoporosis– the 8th International Symposium on Osteoporosis (ISO8): “Translating Research Into Clinical Practice. The conference brought together the world’s preeminent clinicians and scientists to report on advances and challenges in the field.

* The Consensus Development Program (CDP) is an unbiased, independent, evidence-based assessment of complex medical issues and is conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).The program has operated since 1977. Each conference is jointly sponsored and administered by one or more Institutes or Centers (ICs) of NIH and by the Office of Medical Applications of Research (OMAR) in the Office of the Director of NIH. Depending on the topic, other Federal agencies with biomedical components may join in sponsoring a CDP conference. In conjunction with each conference, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) provides a systematic review of literature on the conference topic through one of its Evidence-Based Practice Centers.