ArticleJournal of health economics and outcomes research2025
Real-World Effect of a Digitally Delivered Conservative Musculoskeletal Care Program on Spinal Diagnostic Imaging Utilization in a Commercially Insured Population with Chronic Back Pain.
Article in Journal of health economics and outcomes research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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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Authors and funding
3 authors.
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Abstract
Background: Conservative, noninvasive musculoskeletal treatment delivered digitally has demonstrated similar or better effectiveness in managing and reducing chronic back pain, compared to in-person care. However, there is limited evidence whether digital care reduces future spinal diagnostic imaging visits. Objectives: The primary goal was to examine the associations between participating in a digital conservative musculoskeletal care program for back pain and subsequent spinal diagnostic imaging use. Methods: Using medical claims data from a US commercial health plan database, this retrospective, secondary data analysis compared spinal diagnostic imaging visits among a group of digital program participants who had over 12 weeks of back pain to matched patients who only had usual care to treat their back pain. To mitigate selection bias, a propensity score matching model was developed to match study participants based on demographic, comorbidity, baseline medical care use and cost. The study outcomes were any spinal diagnostic imaging visit and number of spinal diagnostic imaging visits per 1000 participants up to 1 year after participating in the digital program. Results: The study included 2165 digital participants and 2165 matched comparison group patients. We found that digital participants had fewer spinal diagnostic imaging visits in the year after participating in the digital program compared with comparison group patients (14.2% vs 18.2%, Discussion: Consistent with previous studies demonstrating that early conservative management is associated with lower odds of imaging, findings from this study offer an encouraging direction for effective alternatives for managing back pain, improving performance outcomes and reducing premature utilization of healthcare services. Conclusion: The study provides evidence that participating in a digital musculoskeletal program that delivers conservative care is associated with fewer imaging use, especially among participants who had received imaging previously.
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