A recent study finds that starting with chiropractic saves 40% on low back pain care. This study, available online, will be published in the December 2010 volume of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT). The authors performed a claims analysis on Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee’s intermediate and large group fully insured population between October 1, 2004 and September 30, 2006. They looked at all participants who had open access to both chiropractors and medical doctors without the need for a referral from their family physician.
They found that the cost of care of patients who first saw a chiropractor for the relief of low back pain was 40% less than care of patients who saw a medical doctor first. The authors estimate that allowing DC-initiated care would lead to an annual savings of $2.3 million for BCBS of Tennessee.
There have been similar studies like this one in the past, for example in 1999 BCBS of Arkansas found that chiropractic care was more cost effective than care in the medical model. This is not new information for us chiropractors, we have been seeing this and saying this for decades. This is not even new news for the insurance industry and something we think they might actually move on in this current economic climate. The struggle will be with the AMA, they lead the way in dictating health care policy at every level; private to public. Regardless of studies like this I believe that the AMA will continue to attempt to box us out of spinal care with their baseless claims on a perceived risk of chiropractic care that the evidence does not support.
Remember this article the next time you are talking to a family member, friend, or co-worker and they ask you about your chiropractic experience. Not only do we provide real relief, but also we do it at a less expense than medical care.
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