ArticleBMC health services research2018
Timing of physical therapy consultation on 1-year healthcare utilization and costs in patients seeking care for neck pain: a retrospective cohort.
Article in BMC health services research, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- The feasibility of delivering and evaluating stratified care integrated with telehealth ('Rapid Stratified Telehealth') for patients with low back pain: a feasibility and pilot randomised controlled trial.Clinical rheumatology · 2026Trial
- Comparison of Cost-Effectiveness and Cost-Utility of a Telerehabilitation Programme for the Management of Non-Specific Neck Pain: A Study Protocol.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Clinical and Economic Outcomes Associated With Musculoskeletal Care in an Integrated Advanced Primary Care Model: Controlled Cohort Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- The Role of Virtual Physical Therapy in the Management of Musculoskeletal Patients: Current Practices and Future Implications.Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine · 2025Review
- Healthcare utilization and cost of care for a multidisciplinary integrated practice unit model of spine rehabilitation compared to standard or no physical therapy.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- Physician referrals of patients with neck and low back pain for physical therapy in outpatient clinics: a cross-sectional study.Israel journal of health policy research · 2025Article
- Delayed timing of physical therapy initiation increases the risk of future opioid use in individuals with knee osteoarthritis: a real-world cohort study.British journal of sports medicine · 2023Article
- Patient Choice After Referral to Physical Therapy for Lower Back Pain and Knee Osteoarthritis.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translation · 2023Article
- Relationships between physical therapy intervention and opioid use: A scoping review.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation · 2022Article
- Health Care Resource Utilization in Management of Opioid-Naive Patients With Newly Diagnosed Neck Pain.JAMA network open · 2022Article
- Can Physical Therapy Deliver Clinically Meaningful Improvements in Pain and Function Through a Mobile App? An Observational Retrospective Study.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translation · 2022Article
- The Effect of Mobile Care Delivery on Clinically Meaningful Outcomes, Satisfaction, and Engagement Among Physical Therapy Patients: Observational Retrospective Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies · 2022Article
- Timing of physical therapy for individuals with patellofemoral pain and the influence on healthcare use, costs and recurrence rates: an observational study.BMC health services research · 2021Observational
- Identifying patients who access musculoskeletal physical therapy: a retrospective cohort analysis.Family practice · 2021Article
- Outpatient Physical Therapy Use Following Tibial Fractures: A Retrospective Commercial Claims Analysis.Physical therapy · 2021Article
- A Prospective Observational Study of Emergency Department-Initiated Physical Therapy for Acute Low Back Pain.Physical therapy · 2021Observational
- Real-World Evidence in Prescription Medication Use Among U.S. Adults with Neck Pain.Pain and therapy · 2020Article
- Value-Based Care for Musculoskeletal Pain: Are Physical Therapists Ready to Deliver?Physical therapy · 2020Article
- Medical and allied health service use during acute and chronic post-injury periods in whiplash injured individuals.BMC health services research · 2020Article
- Physical therapy and opioid use for musculoskeletal pain management: competitors or companions?Pain reportsReview
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPatients seek care from physical therapists for neck pain but it is unclear what the association of the timing of physical therapy (PT) consultation is on 1-year healthcare utilization and costs. The purpose of this study was to compare the 1-year healthcare utilization and costs between three PT timing groups: patients who consulted a physical therapist (PT) for neck pain within 14 days (early PT consultation), between 15 and 90 days (delayed PT consultation) or between 91 and 364 days (late PT consultation).
methodsA retrospective cohort of 308 patients (69.2% female, ages 48.7[±14.5] years) were categorized into PT timing groups. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each group. In adjusted regression models, 1-year healthcare utilization of injections, imaging, opioids and costs were compared between groups.
resultsCompared to early PT consultation, the odds of receiving an opioid prescription (aOR = 2.79, 95%CI: 1.35-5.79), spinal injection (aOR = 4.36, 95%CI:2.26-8.45), undergoing an MRI (aOR = 4.68, 95%CI:2.25-9.74), X-ray (aOR = 2.97, 95%CI:1.61-5.47) or CT scan (aOR = 3.36, 95%CI: 1.14-9.97) were increased in patients in the late PT consultation group. Similar increases in risk were found in the delayed group (except CT and Opioids). Compared to the early PT consultation group, mean costs were $2172 ($557, $3786) higher in the late PT contact group and $1063 (95%CI: $ 138 - $1988) higher in the delayed PT consultation group. DISCUSSION: There was an association with the timing of physical therapy consultation on healthcare utilization and costs, where later consultation was associated with increases costs and healthcare utilization. This study examined the association of timing of physical therapy consultation on costs and healthcare utilization, but not the association of increased access to physical therapy consultation. Therefore, the findings warrant further investigation to explore the effects of increased access to physical therapy consultation on healthcare utilization and costs in a prospective study.
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