title: Utilization of Facet Joint and Sacroiliac Joint Interventions in Medicare Population from 2000 to 2014: Explosive Growth Continues!
abstract: Increasing utilization of interventional techniques in managing chronic spinal pain, specifically facet joint interventions and sacroiliac joint injections, is a major concern of healthcare policy makers. We analyzed the patterns of utilization of facet and sacroiliac joint interventions in managing chronic spinal pain. The results showed significant increase of facet joint interventions and sacroiliac joint injections from 2000 to 2014 in Medicare FFS service beneficiaries. Overall, the Medicare population increased 35 %, whereas facet joint and sacroiliac joint interventions increased 313.3 % per 100,000 Medicare population with an annual increase of 10.7 %. While the increases were uniform from 2000 to 2014, there were some decreases noted for facet joint interventions in 2007, 2010, and 2013, whereas for sacroiliac joint injections, the decreases were noted in 2007 and 2013. The increases were for cervical and thoracic facet neurolysis at 911.5 % compared to lumbosacral facet neurolysis of 567.8 %, 362.9 % of cervical and thoracic facet joint blocks, 316.9 % of sacroiliac joints injections, and finally 227.3 % of lumbosacral facet joint blocks.
authors.affiliation: Pain Management Center of Paducah, 2831 Lone Oak Road, Paducah, Kentucky, 42003, USA. drlm@thepainmd.com.|Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Louisville, 530 S Jackson Street, Room C2A01, Louisville, KY, 40202, USA. drlm@thepainmd.com.
authors.forename: Laxmaiah
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Manchikanti
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Blossom Street, Gray 241B, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hirsch
authors.affiliation: Pain Management Center of Paducah, 2831 Lone Oak Road, Paducah, Kentucky, 42003, USA.
authors.forename: Vidyasagar
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pampati
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Louisville, 530 S Jackson Street, Room C2A01, Louisville, KY, 40202, USA.
authors.forename: Mark V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Boswell
mesh_terms: D001416:Back Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007270:Injections, Intra-Articular / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006278:Medicare; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D012446:Sacroiliac Joint; D014481:United States; D021801:Zygapophyseal Joint
keywords: Chronic spinal pain; Facet joint interventions; Patterns of utilization; Sacroiliac joint injections