RE: proposed pro-chiropractic legislation in californ ia

[Guest guest]

Ron, I believe this is what you were looking for. sharron fuchs dc

*****ARCHIVES OF INTERNAL MEDICINE*****

(REFERENCE 1 OF 1)

Legorreta AP Metz RD CF Ray S Chernicoff HO Dinubile NA

Comparative analysis of individuals with and without chiropractic

coverage: patient characteristics, utilization, and costs.

In: Arch Intern Med (2004 Oct 11) 164(18):1985-92

ISSN: 0003-9926

BACKGROUND: Back pain accounts for more than $100 billion in annual

US health care costs and is the second leading cause of physician

visits and hospitalizations. This study ascertains the effect of

systematic access to chiropractic care on the overall and

neuromusculoskeletal-specific consumption of health care resources

within a large managed-care system. METHODS: A 4-year retrospective

claims data analysis comparing more than 700 000 health plan members

with an additional chiropractic coverage benefit and 1 million

members of the same health plan without the chiropractic benefit.

RESULTS: Members with chiropractic insurance coverage, compared with

those without coverage, had lower annual total health care

expenditures ($1463 vs $1671 per member per year, P<.001). Having

chiropractic coverage was associated with a 1.6% decrease (P = .001)

in total annual health care costs at the health plan level. Back pain

patients with chiropractic coverage, compared with those without

coverage, had lower utilization (per 1000 episodes) of plain

radiographs (17.5 vs 22.7, P<.001), low back surgery (3.3 vs 4.8,

P<.001), hospitalizations (9.3 vs 15.6, P<.001), and magnetic

resonance imaging (43.2 vs 68.9, P<.001). Patients with chiropractic

coverage, compared with those without coverage, also had lower

average back pain episode-related costs ($289 vs $399, P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Access to managed chiropractic care may reduce overall

health care expenditures through several effects, including (1)

positive risk selection; (2) substitution of chiropractic for

traditional medical care, particularly for spine conditions; (3) more

conservative, less invasive treatment profiles; and (4) lower health

service costs associated with managed chiropractic care. Systematic

access to managed chiropractic care not only may prove to be

clinically beneficial but also may reduce overall health care costs.

Comment in: Arch Intern Med. 2004 Oct 11;164(18):1953-4

Institutional address:

Department of Health Services

UCLA School of Public Health

Los Angeles

Calif

USA. alegorreta@...

-----Original Message-----From: R Johansen [mailto:drjohansen@...]Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2005 9:19 AMcdc@...Cc: Subject: Re: proposed pro-chiropractic legislation in california

Does any body have the citation or can you post the original study that this press release came from? Ron Johansen

On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 21:46:22 EST cdc@... writes:

Assemblyman Koretz Introduces Legislation Aimed at Reducing Skyrocketing Health Care Costs; New Studies Conclude Insurance Coverage of Chiropractic Saves MoneySACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)----Citing the urgent need to squeeze more value out of every health care dollar, Assemblyman Koretz (D-West Hollywood) introduced legislation today requiring health insurers to include chiropractic care as a covered benefit. Sen. Elaine Alquist (D-San ) will co-author the legislation in the Senate. The bill, AB 1185, was prompted by a new study reporting that health care spending soaks up 24% of the growth in our economy, and other recent studies showing that adding chiropractic care to an insurance plan helps hold down costs. "As health care costs continue to spiral out of control, we must look for innovative ways to hold down these costs," Assembly Member Koretz said. "Independent, peer-reviewed studies show that simply offering patient's access to chiropractic care significantly brings down health plan expenses." "Everyone who must grapple with the astronomical costs of health care -- insurers, patients, employers, and the government -- will benefit from wider access to chiropractic care, which can provide proven cost savings to the health care system," said Senator Alquist. New research provides strong evidence supporting the coverage of chiropractic care by all insurers, and highlights the need to rein in out-of-control cost increases in the health care system. Findings of newly-released studies include: -- Nearly one-quarter of the growth in the United States economy is attributed to spending for health-related items. Health care expenditures will grow to $1.9 trillion this year, an increase of $621 billion from 2000. This amounts to more than three times the defense budget and twice what the nation devotes to education, according to a new study by the Boston University School of Public Health. Researchers also found that U.S. health spending per person is twice the average of such spending in Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Great Britain. -- A recent four-year study reported in the American Medical Association's prestigious Archives of Internal Medicine compared health plans with a chiropractic benefit to those without. The inclusion of a chiropractic benefit resulted in lower overall health care expenses and 31 percent fewer back surgeries. The study compared 700,000 medical health plan members with chiropractic benefits to 1,000,000 members without chiropractic benefits in California. With chiropractic care, per capita hospital costs were 15 percent lower. The study also found that access to chiropractic care results in a risk-adjusted cost savings of 1.6 percent in overall health care expenditures. "Far too many insurance plans have made chiropractic unavailable by refusing to include it in the benefit package. This legislation aims to ensure that those who prefer chiropractic for the treatment of their back, neck, shoulder and hand pain can access it on an equal basis as other treatments, for their health's sake and to save money," said Assembly Member Koretz.California State Assemblyman Koretz Stark, 916-319-2042 (Chief of Staff) or 916-715-2203 (Cell)02/22/2005 17:51 ET

OregonDCs rules:1. Keep correspondence professional; the purpose of the listserve is to foster communication and collegiality. No personal attacks on listserve members will be tolerated.2. Always sign your e-mails with your first and last name.3. The listserve is not secure; your e-mail could end up anywhere. However, it is against the rules of the listserve to copy, print, forward, or otherwise distribute correspondence written by another member without his or her consent, unless all personal identifiers have been removed.

OregonDCs rules:1. Keep correspondence professional; the purpose of the listserve is to foster communication and collegiality. No personal attacks on listserve members will be tolerated.2. Always sign your e-mails with your first and last name.3. The listserve is not secure; your e-mail could end up anywhere. However, it is against the rules of the listserve to copy, print, forward, or otherwise distribute correspondence written by another member without his or her consent, unless all personal identifiers have been removed.

[Guest guest]

Ron, I read about this article in one of the many Chiropractic newspapers. Apparently, while looking good on the surface ,the figures come from ASHN Chiropractic providers.

sharron fuchs dc

-----Original Message-----From: Sharron Fuchs [mailto:sharronf@...]Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2005 5:42 PMCc: Subject: RE: proposed pro-chiropractic legislation in californ ia

Ron, I believe this is what you were looking for. sharron fuchs dc

*****ARCHIVES OF INTERNAL MEDICINE*****

(REFERENCE 1 OF 1)

Legorreta AP Metz RD CF Ray S Chernicoff HO Dinubile NA

Comparative analysis of individuals with and without chiropractic

coverage: patient characteristics, utilization, and costs.

In: Arch Intern Med (2004 Oct 11) 164(18):1985-92

ISSN: 0003-9926

BACKGROUND: Back pain accounts for more than $100 billion in annual

US health care costs and is the second leading cause of physician

visits and hospitalizations. This study ascertains the effect of

systematic access to chiropractic care on the overall and

neuromusculoskeletal-specific consumption of health care resources

within a large managed-care system. METHODS: A 4-year retrospective

claims data analysis comparing more than 700 000 health plan members

with an additional chiropractic coverage benefit and 1 million

members of the same health plan without the chiropractic benefit.

RESULTS: Members with chiropractic insurance coverage, compared with

those without coverage, had lower annual total health care

expenditures ($1463 vs $1671 per member per year, P<.001). Having

chiropractic coverage was associated with a 1.6% decrease (P = .001)

in total annual health care costs at the health plan level. Back pain

patients with chiropractic coverage, compared with those without

coverage, had lower utilization (per 1000 episodes) of plain

radiographs (17.5 vs 22.7, P<.001), low back surgery (3.3 vs 4.8,

P<.001), hospitalizations (9.3 vs 15.6, P<.001), and magnetic

resonance imaging (43.2 vs 68.9, P<.001). Patients with chiropractic

coverage, compared with those without coverage, also had lower

average back pain episode-related costs ($289 vs $399, P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Access to managed chiropractic care may reduce overall

health care expenditures through several effects, including (1)

positive risk selection; (2) substitution of chiropractic for

traditional medical care, particularly for spine conditions; (3) more

conservative, less invasive treatment profiles; and (4) lower health

service costs associated with managed chiropractic care. Systematic

access to managed chiropractic care not only may prove to be

clinically beneficial but also may reduce overall health care costs.

Comment in: Arch Intern Med. 2004 Oct 11;164(18):1953-4

Institutional address:

Department of Health Services

UCLA School of Public Health

Los Angeles

Calif

USA. alegorreta@...

-----Original Message-----From: R Johansen [mailto:drjohansen@...]Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2005 9:19 AMcdc@...Cc: Subject: Re: proposed pro-chiropractic legislation in california

Does any body have the citation or can you post the original study that this press release came from? Ron Johansen

On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 21:46:22 EST cdc@... writes:

Assemblyman Koretz Introduces Legislation Aimed at Reducing Skyrocketing Health Care Costs; New Studies Conclude Insurance Coverage of Chiropractic Saves MoneySACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)----Citing the urgent need to squeeze more value out of every health care dollar, Assemblyman Koretz (D-West Hollywood) introduced legislation today requiring health insurers to include chiropractic care as a covered benefit. Sen. Elaine Alquist (D-San ) will co-author the legislation in the Senate. The bill, AB 1185, was prompted by a new study reporting that health care spending soaks up 24% of the growth in our economy, and other recent studies showing that adding chiropractic care to an insurance plan helps hold down costs. "As health care costs continue to spiral out of control, we must look for innovative ways to hold down these costs," Assembly Member Koretz said. "Independent, peer-reviewed studies show that simply offering patient's access to chiropractic care significantly brings down health plan expenses." "Everyone who must grapple with the astronomical costs of health care -- insurers, patients, employers, and the government -- will benefit from wider access to chiropractic care, which can provide proven cost savings to the health care system," said Senator Alquist. New research provides strong evidence supporting the coverage of chiropractic care by all insurers, and highlights the need to rein in out-of-control cost increases in the health care system. Findings of newly-released studies include: -- Nearly one-quarter of the growth in the United States economy is attributed to spending for health-related items. Health care expenditures will grow to $1.9 trillion this year, an increase of $621 billion from 2000. This amounts to more than three times the defense budget and twice what the nation devotes to education, according to a new study by the Boston University School of Public Health. Researchers also found that U.S. health spending per person is twice the average of such spending in Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Great Britain. -- A recent four-year study reported in the American Medical Association's prestigious Archives of Internal Medicine compared health plans with a chiropractic benefit to those without. The inclusion of a chiropractic benefit resulted in lower overall health care expenses and 31 percent fewer back surgeries. The study compared 700,000 medical health plan members with chiropractic benefits to 1,000,000 members without chiropractic benefits in California. With chiropractic care, per capita hospital costs were 15 percent lower. The study also found that access to chiropractic care results in a risk-adjusted cost savings of 1.6 percent in overall health care expenditures. "Far too many insurance plans have made chiropractic unavailable by refusing to include it in the benefit package. This legislation aims to ensure that those who prefer chiropractic for the treatment of their back, neck, shoulder and hand pain can access it on an equal basis as other treatments, for their health's sake and to save money," said Assembly Member Koretz.California State Assemblyman Koretz Stark, 916-319-2042 (Chief of Staff) or 916-715-2203 (Cell)02/22/2005 17:51 ET

OregonDCs rules:1. Keep correspondence professional; the purpose of the listserve is to foster communication and collegiality. No personal attacks on listserve members will be tolerated.2. Always sign your e-mails with your first and last name.3. The listserve is not secure; your e-mail could end up anywhere. However, it is against the rules of the listserve to copy, print, forward, or otherwise distribute correspondence written by another member without his or her consent, unless all personal identifiers have been removed.

OregonDCs rules:1. Keep correspondence professional; the purpose of the listserve is to foster communication and collegiality. No personal attacks on listserve members will be tolerated.2. Always sign your e-mails with your first and last name.3. The listserve is not secure; your e-mail could end up anywhere. However, it is against the rules of the listserve to copy, print, forward, or otherwise distribute correspondence written by another member without his or her consent, unless all personal identifiers have been removed. OregonDCs rules:1. Keep correspondence professional; the purpose of the listserve is to foster communication and collegiality. No personal attacks on listserve members will be tolerated.2. Always sign your e-mails with your first and last name.3. The listserve is not secure; your e-mail could end up anywhere. However, it is against the rules of the listserve to copy, print, forward, or otherwise distribute correspondence written by another member without his or her consent, unless all personal identifiers have been removed.