Since the late 1990s, expenditures for the treatment of back and neck problems have nearly doubled, mainly from increased spending for care provided by medical specialists. However, spending on primary care, chiropractic care and physical therapy for spinal problems has held steady or decreased, according to study published in Spine.
Using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, the researchers examined adult respondents who sought ambulatory health services for the management of back and neck conditions from 1999 to 2008. National estimates of mean inflation-adjusted annual expenditures on medical care, chiropractic care and physical therapy per user for back and neck conditions were made using a complex survey design.
Approximately 6% of US adults reported an ambulatory visit for a primary diagnosis of a back or neck condition in 2008, which remained stable throughout the decade. Study results showed that the mean inflation-adjusted annual expenditures on medical care for these patients increased by 95%— from $487 in 1999 to $950 in 2008. The increase in spending was mostly for care provided by medical specialists, while researchers found little or no change in spending for spinal care provided by family physicians, internists or general practitioners. Spending for spinal care provided by chiropractors remained stable, while spending for physical therapy, the most costly service throughout the study decade, decreased over time.
“Future health policy decisions must be informed by the relative cost-effectiveness of ambulatory health services that manage the spine condition population,” the researchers concluded.
For more information:
Davis MA, Onega T, Weeks WB, et al. Where the United States spends its spine dollars: Expenditures on different ambulatory services for the management of back and neck conditions. Spine. 2012;37:1693-1701.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
