Referral delay in back pain patients on worker's compensation.
Low back pain (LBP), a common illness that may progress to chronic disability, costs many billions for care, lost work, and compensation. Conventional medicine does not effectively restore chronic LBP patients to work; multidisciplinary rehabilitation does, but limited or delayed access risks unnecessary costs, additional morbidity, and permanent disability. The authors examine costs of delayed treatment for 23 disabled LBP patients in a rehabilitation program. Compensation costs average $26,159 per patient, a sum covering treatment for 3 patients. Additional medical and societal costs are estimated. Factors causing delay, such as economic incentives and ignorance about pain, and policies to remediate these problems, are discussed.
Gallagher
R M
RM
Comprehensive Pain and Rehabilitation Center, University Hospital, State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook, USA.
Myers
P
P
D000328:Adult; D001416:Back Pain / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000191:economics