title: Associations Between Relative Value Units and Patient-Reported Back Pain and Disability.
abstract: Objective:To describe associations between health care utilization measures and patient-reported outcomes (PROs).Method:Primary data were collected from patients ≥65 years with low back pain visits from 2011 to 2013. Six PROs of pain and functionality were collected 12 and 24 months after the index visits and total and spine-specific relative value units (RVUs) from electronic health records were tabulated over 1 year. We calculated correlation coefficients between RVUs and 12- and 24-month PROs and conducted linear regressions with each 12- and 24-month PRO as the outcome variables and RVUs as predictors of interest.Results:We observed very weak correlations between worse PROs at 12 and 24 months and greater 12-month utilization. In regression analyses, we observed slight associations between greater utilization and worse 12- and 24-month PROs.Discussion:We found that 12-month health care utilization is not strongly associated with PROs at 12 or 24 months.
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Laura S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bryan
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Bryan A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Comstock
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Brian W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Bresnahan
authors.affiliation: Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Deyo
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Srdjan S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Nedeljkovic
authors.affiliation: Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Nerenz
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Heagerty
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Jarvik
keywords: Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire score; electronic health records; low back pain; patient-reported outcomes; relative value units (RVUs)