Author: Ray Tuck, DC

A new report was just published looking to see if chiropractic care would be more beneficial and more economical for neck and low back pain.  The name is Do Chiropractic Physician Services for Treatment of Low-Back and Neck Pain Improve the Value of Health Benefit Plans?  An Evidence-Based Assessment of Incremental Impact on Population Health and Total Health Care Spending, and was performed by Harvard Medical School and Mercer Health and Benefits.

 The results were as follows:

• “Almost half of US patients with persistent back pain” seek chiropractic care.

• “Low-back and neck pain are extremely common conditions that consume large amounts of healthcare resources.”

• “Effectiveness:  chiropractic care is more effective than other modalities for treating low-back and neck pain.”

• “Cost-effectiveness:  when considering effectiveness and cost together, chiropractic physician care for low-back and neck pain is highly cost effective, and represents a good value in comparison to medical physician care and to widely accepted cost-effectiveness thresholds.”“…chiropractic care for the treatment of low-back and neck pain is likely to achieve equal or better health outcomes at a cost that compares very favourably to most therapies that are routinely covered in US health benefits plans.  As a result, the addition of chiropractic coverage for the treatment of low-back and neck pain at prices typically payable in US employer-sponsored health benefits plans will likely increase value-for-dollar….”

This information, along with a report from 1993 named the Magna Report show that there is certainly some benefit to chiropractic being a part of the new Healthcare Reform.  I hope the experts do not overlook this information!