Effect of Public Reporting on MR Imaging Use for Low Back Pain

Radiology
Cecilia M GandugliaLuisa Franzini

Abstract

To determine whether magnetic resonance (MR) imaging examination rates for low back pain before conservative therapy in the Medicare and privately insured populations changed after introduction of a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services public reporting initiative. Institutional review board approval was obtained, with waiver of informed consent. A retrospective study was performed by using fee-for-service claims data from Medicare and a commercial carrier (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas [BCBSTX]) for Texas enrollees. OP-8 was calculated, which is a publicly reported measure as of 2009 of the proportion of MR imaging examinations performed for low back pain without history of conservative therapy. For 330 463 MR imaging examinations, OP-8 rates, trends, and regional variation were analyzed for 2008-2011 within different outpatient settings-outpatient hospital department (OHD) and nonhospital outpatient department (NOD)-according to payer. Largest-volume hospitals were also evaluated within the Medicare population. No significant reduction was found in annual OP-8 values for Medicare or BCBSTX (Medicare OHD, 0.35 for 2008 vs 0.36 for 2009 [P = .01]; BCBSTX OHD, 0.42 for 2008 vs 0.44 for 2009 [P = .03]; Medicare NOD, 0.33 for...Continue Reading

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