title: A comparison of health care use for physician-referred and self-referred episodes of outpatient physical therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare patient profiles and health care use for physician-referred and self-referred episodes of outpatient physical therapy (PT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Five years (2003-2007) of private health insurance claims data, from a Midwest insurer, on beneficiaries aged 18-64.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analyses of health care use of physician-referred (N = 45,210) and self-referred (N = 17,497) ambulatory PT episodes of care was conducted, adjusting for age, gender, diagnosis, case mix, and year.
  
  
  METHODS
  Physical therapy episodes began with the physical therapist initial evaluation and ended on the last date of service before 60 days of no further visits. Episodes were classified as physician-referred if the patient had a physician claim from a reasonable referral source in the 30 days before the start of PT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The self-referred group was slightly younger, but the two groups were very similar in regard to diagnosis and case mix. Self-referred episodes had fewer PT visits (86 percent of physician-referred) and lower allowable amounts ($0.87 for every $1.00), after covariate adjustment, but did not differ in related health care utilization after PT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health care use during PT episodes was lower for those who self-referred, after adjusting for key variables, but did not differ after the PT episode.
authors.affiliation: Center for Public Health Statistics, University of Iowa, Room C22K, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA, USA. jane-pendergast@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pendergast
authors.forename: Stephanie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kliethermes
authors.forename: Janet K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Freburger
authors.forename: Pamela A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Duffy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057216:Propensity Score; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012648:Self Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult
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