ArticleInternational journal of spine surgery2018
Factors Affecting Utilization of Steroid Injections in the Treatment of Lumbosacral Degenerative Conditions in the United States.
Article in International journal of spine surgery, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Surgical versus non-surgical treatment for sciatica: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2023Pooled it
- De-implementing spinal injections in pursuit of value-based care: Rethinking pain relief.The journal of pain · 2026Review
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3 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLumbar degenerative conditions are an extremely common set of diagnoses with a large spectrum of treatment options. Epidural steroid injections (ESI) are widely used but have come under increased scrutiny as we move toward a value-based model of health care. We assessed current utilization of epidural steroid injections, changes in utilization over time, and the influence of payer type and geographic region within the United States on their utilization. In addition, we analyzed the relationship between ESIs and surgical rates across states.
methodsThe Medicare 5% national sample administrative database (SAF5) and a large national database from a commercial health care company (HORTHO) were used to catalog clinical data for patients with lumbar degenerative conditions. Specific queries into the rate of ESIs and lumbar surgery were also performed within this group.
resultsThere were 4 108 121 patients found between 2005 and 2015 in the SAF5 and HORTHO databases carrying a diagnosis related to lumbar degenerative conditions. The overall yearly injection rates for patients with lumbar degenerative conditions ranged from 9.84% to 10.18%. In patients older than 65, the rate of ESI was higher for Medicare as compared with private payer insurance (16.27% versus 14.14%,
conclusionsThere is considerable variation in treatment of lumbar degenerative conditions with ESI based on payer type. There was increased utilization of lumbar ESI between 2007 and 2012, although this change was less than 0.5%. The data also suggest a positive correlation between rates of ESIs and surgical intervention across states. This points to areas in the country with high utilization of both ESI and surgery in the treatment of lumbar degenerative conditions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III, economic and decision analysis.
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