PHYSICAL THERAPY EPISODES OF CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH LOW-BACK-PAIN

Background and Purpose. Although individuals with low back pain freque ntly receive treatment from a physical therapist, few published studie s exist that describe who sees a physical therapist for their low back pain nor is much known about physical therapy episodes of care for th is condition. Secondary analysis of data from the American Physical Th erapy Association's Survey of Physical Therapy Outpatient Practice pro vides new descriptive data on services provided to a national, represe ntative sample of patients discharged from hospital-based and private outpatient practices. In addition, specific hypotheses were tested on clinical and background factors believed to influence low back pain ep isodes of care. Subjects. Patients with low back pain represented over 25% of all outpatient discharges from physical therapy practices. Met hods. A mail survey was conducted with representatives of a national p robability sample of facilities that provided outpatient physical ther apy services. Data were provided on each facility and on a discharge s ample of patients treated at each facility. Results. On average, episo des of care extended over 5 weeks and consisted of 11 therapy visits, for an average charge of $766.70. Duration and charge for low back epi sodes of care did not differ, on average, in private versus hospital-b ased practices. Certain aspects of care, however, did vary across regi ons of the country. Episodes of care charged to workers' compensation were costlier than those charged to other insurance carriers, and whit es were charged less, on average, than nonwhites. Duration of back sym ptoms was related to intensity, duration, and charges incurred for the episode of care. Conclusion and Discussion. Further research is neede d to understand the reasons for the relationships observed in this stu dy, as well as studies that relate care provided by physical therapist s to specific patient outcomes. Further research is also needed to com pare outcomes achieved across different health professions.