Healthcare Utilization within a Medicaid Managed Care Low-Back Pain Cohort Presenting to Primary Care (January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013) by Physical Therapy (PT) Consult Status and by PT Participation Status
| Care Beyond Index Visit | All Patients (n = 454) | PT Consult (n = 215) | No PT Consult (n = 271) | P-Value | PT Participants (n = 81) | Non-PT Participants (n = 134) | P-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X-rays | 79 (17.4%) | 37 (17.2%) | 42 (17.6%) | 1.00 | 13 (16.0%) | 24 (17.9%) | .85 |
| Advanced imaging | 48 (10.6%) | 17 (7.9%) | 31 (13.0%) | .09 | 13 (16.0%) | 4 (3.0%) | .00 |
| Spinal injection | 22 (4.8%) | 6 (2.8%) | 16 (6.7%) | .08 | 4 (4.9%) | 2 (1.4%) | .20 |
| Surgery | 3 (0.7%) | 0 | 3 (1.3%) | .25 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Emergency department | 59 (13%) | 33 (15.3%) | 26 (10.9%) | .17 | 7 (8.6%) | 26 (19.4%) | .05 |
| Opioid Rx during followup | 192 (42.3%) | 78 (40.4%) | 114 (51.4%) | .03 | 21 (28.8%) | 57 (47.5%) | .01 |
Number in bold represent significant between group differences.
PT, Physical Therapy; Rx, prescription.