Medical utilization trends were the subject of a presentation this morning. Here are some of the highlights which are based on research on back and neck injuries…
– use of MRI increased 11-14 points for non-specific back pain cases from 1998 – 2003.
– 40 pct of these cases had MRIs in 2003.
– the surgery rate for disc problems was stable over that period, although there was a shift in location with more performed in outpatient settings
– the typical back case received 4-7 more physical medicine visits over the 5 year period, driven almost entirely by trends in CA and TX
Nov
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