Osteoporosis is a public health problem that not only exerts significant morbidity and mortality to society but also a heavy financial burden. An effective strategy for controlling this disease is identifying high-risk population for early intervention. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the age group most cost-effective to screen for osteoporosis in elderly women. METHODS: The study population is women from 50 to 79 years old, who have not incurred a bone fracture. All costs and life-years saved from intervention were calculated using the 5-year backward induction, incorporating the DEALE method. The analysis is done from the perspective of society and a 3% discount rate is used. The variables in the analysis were extracted from the literature. RESULTS: The cost to save one life-year from screening for osteoporosis ranges from $97,208 to $180,533. The variable most sensitive in the model is the cost of an annual bone scan; a 20% variation in price of a bone scan shifts the cost effectiveness ratio by 19 to 22%. If a bone scan is required every 5 years, this intervention would be cost effective for women 65 to 79 years old, assuming an intervention is cost-effective if it costs $50,000 or less per life-year saved. CONCLUSIONS: The results in this model demonstrate that screening for osteoporosis in the elderly female population is not cost effective between 50 to 79 years. Future research may include following a cohort of women in this age range and assess all the cost related to providing osteoporosis care for a more complete account of total costs to society.