 The Texas StudyIn 2002, the Texas Chiropractic Association (TCA) commissioned an independent study to determine the use and effectiveness of chiropractic with regard to worker`s compensation, the results of which were published in February. According to the report, Chiropractic Treatment of Worker`s Compensation Claimants in the State of Texas, chiropractic care was associated with significantly lower costs and more rapid recovery in treating workers with low back injuries. They found: Lower back and neck injuries accounted for 38 percent of all claims costs. Chiropractors treated about 30 percent of workers with lower back injuries, but were responsible for only 17.5 percent of the medical costs and 9.1 percent of the total costs. These findings were even more interesting: The average claim for a worker with a low-back injury was $15,884. However, if a worker received at least 75 percent of his or her care from a chiropractor, the total cost per claimant decreased by nearly one-fourth to $12,202. If the chiropractor provided at least 90 percent of the care, the average cost declined by more than 50 percent to $7,632,
The college of William and Mary, LG Schifrin, Jan 1992
The Utah Study
A 1991 study of workers` compensation claims comparing medical care to chiropractic care and reported in The Journal of Occupational Medicine collated 3,062 separate injury cases for conditions with identical diagnostic codes. The sample studied 40.6% of the 7,551 estimated back injury claims from the 1986 Worker`s Compensation Fund of Utah.
This study, like many others reviewing the shorter disability and lower costs for patients under chiropractic care for various health concerns, showed dramatic differences in chiropractic efficacy in comparison with medical management for the same condition. In fact, the number of workdays lost under medical care was nearly ten times higher than for those receiving chiropractic care.
This study also examined cost comparisons between medical an chiropractic providers for back-related injuries with identical diagnostic codes. If found compensation costs for work time lost were only $68.38 for patients who received chiropractic care compared to $668.39 for medically managed patients receiving standard, non-surgical medical treatment.
This comparison study also found that chiropractic patients return to work ten times sooner after an injury-at ten times less cost. The researchers reported "for the total data set, cost for care was significantly more for medical claims and compensation costs were ten-fold less for chiropractic claims.
Journal of Occupational Medicine, Kelly Jarvis, DC, 1991, 33,8:847-852
The Florida Report - 2002
In 1994 the State of Florida introduced managed care for workers compensation patients and mandated its use in 1997. This severely restricted access to Chiropractic care. Since the introduction of managed care the number of workers compensation, patients under Chiropractic care was reduced by 75%. At the same time patients ending up with permanent disability steadily increased, more than doubling in 4 years. A review of 288,084 claims forms showed that when Doctors of Chiropactic managed more than 50% of the charges for the case there was a 57% cost savings for low back cases and a 38% cost savings for other cases with chiropractic. The Chiropractic group also returned to work 41% faster for low back cases and 42% faster for other cases.
Trends in Chiropractic Treatment of Workers’ Compensation Claimants in the State of Florida, Mgt of America, Inc, Tallahassee, FL, Jan 2002
The 1997 Utah Study
A 1997 study of injured workers in the Utah Worker Compensation Fund published in the Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapy, also favorably contrasted the cost of care by chiropractors in a managed care pre-authorization system with the comparatively escalated costs of treatment by medical physicians.
This retrospective review of 5,000 claims from 1986 and 1989 of injured workers found that costs of cases managed by chiropractors increased only 12% between 1986 and 1989, while the costs of treatment in cases managed by medical physicians increased 71%. In the same time period, compensation costs (wage replacement) only increased 21% for the chiropractic group, while there was a 114% increase for the medical group.
Journal of Chiropractic Medicine,Jarvis KB, Phillips RB & Danielson C,1997:372-6
Oregon and California Studies[/Span]
Studies in Oregon and California also showed that Chiropractic was able to return people back to work at 1/2 the time at 1/2 the costs than allopathic medicine.
California Worker`s Compensation Records, Richard Wolf, MD, 1972
Oregon Worker`s Compensation Records, Rolland Martin, MD, 1971
The Richmond Study
A comparison of costs of chiropractors versus alternative medical practitioners conducted in 1992 summarized its extensive economic analysis with the finding that "chiropractic care is a lower cost option for several prominent back-related ailments." It concludes that "if chiropractic care is insured to the same extent as other specialties, patients with certain conditions seeking chiropractic care as a first option could very well result in a decrease in overall treatment costs."
University of Richmond, VADH Dean and RM Schmidt, January 13, 1992
The Virginia Study
This extensive study of mandated health insurance and chiropractic coverage concluded that while chiropractors may see their patients more frequently in certain clinical cases, their care has lower overall costs for many conditions. The study evaluated multiple parameters of cost and effectiveness that repeatedly demonstrated chiropractic care provides important therapeutic benefits at economical costs. These multiple benefits did not produce any notable increase in the costs of health insurance.
The report concludes that mandating chiropractic care into health insurance coverage provisions would not increase but instead potentially reduce them.
The College of William and Mary,LG Schifrin, January 1992
The Nevada Study
A Nevada Work Comp. Study (covering the 1988-1990 period) found that the average individual cost for Medicare was $2,142 compared to $892 per chiropractic case. That`s a 260% cost difference with loss time 1/3 less for the chiropractic cases. It also found that chiropractic eliminates the concern of unnecessary surgery (found in 17% of cases reviewed), inappropriate hospitalization (found in 22% of the time) improper use of medication (23%) and high utilization of narcotic analgesics.
Nevada State Industrial Insurance Systems
The Florida Study
This major 1988 study examined 10,652 closed cases of patients with back related injuries who were covered by Florida`s workers` compensation law, comparing chiropractic case management with standard medical case management. The results indicated that the duration of temporary total disability was 58.8 percent lower for the chiropractic care. In addition, 52.2 percent of all medical patient claimants were hospitalized compared to only 20.3 percent of chiropractic patients.[/
SpanFoundation for Chiropractic Education and Research,S.Wolk, Arlington VA, September 1988
The North Carolina Study
Average cost of treatment, hospitalization, and compensation payments were higher for patients treated by MDs than for patients treated by DCs. Average number of lost workdays for patients treated by MDs was higher than for those treated by DCs. Combined care patients generated higher costs than patients treated by MDs or DCs alone.
J. Manip. Physiological Therapeutic, June 200427(5): 336-347
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