New Findings from Yale University School of Medicine Update Understanding of Managed Care (Changes In the Utilization of Cervicothoracic Injections Between 2010 and 2020): Managed Care

2024 JUN 28 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators publish new report on Managed Care. According to news reporting originating in New Haven, Connecticut, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Descriptive epidemiologic study. To analyze trends and patient characteristics of those undergoing cervicothoracic transforaminal, interlaminar, and facet injections over time.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the Yale University School of Medicine, “Cervicothoracic transforaminal, interlaminar, and facet injections are considered for varied spinal pathologies. Evolving literature, changing physician preferences, insurance reimbursement policies, and patient factors may influence the utilization of such injections over time. Patients undergoing cervicothoracic transforaminal, interlaminar, and facet injections 2010-2020 were identified in the M151Ortho PearlDiver database using Current Procedural Terminology coding. Patient age, sex, Elixhauser Comorbidity Index, insurance plan (commercial, Medicaid, Medicare), and region of the country where the procedure was performed (Midwest, Northeast, South, and West) were extracted and assessed over study intervals based on prevalence per 100,000 covered lives. Cervicothoracic transforaminal, interlaminar, and facet injections were identified for 195,221 (11.3%), 951,191 (55.2%), and 575,228 (33.4%) patients, respectively. Patient characteristics for each injection type were defined. The annual number of injections performed per 100,000 covered lives decreased during the study period for transforaminal (17.1% decrease) and interlaminar (9.3% decrease) but increased for facet (3.7% increase) injections ( P<0.0001 for each). Stratifying by patient insurance type, administration of transforaminal, interlaminar, and facet injections per 100,000 covered lives was proportionally greatest for commercially insured patients (55%, 50%, and 45%, respectively), and proportionally smallest for Medicaid patients (10%, 13%, and 13%, respectively). Anesthesiology physicians performed the most injections, followed by physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, with both provider types most frequently performing interlaminar injections, followed by facet and transforaminal injections. Annual cervicothoracic transforaminal and interlaminar injection utilization declined by 17.1% and 9.3% from 2010 to 2020, whereas facet injection administration increased by 3.7% over the same interval.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Evolving practice patterns are important to consider in characterizing the overall landscape of spine care.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Changes In the Utilization of Cervicothoracic Injections Between 2010 and 2020. Clinical Spine Surgery, 2024;37(5):210-216. Clinical Spine Surgery can be contacted at: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Two Commerce Sq, 2001 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA.

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Jonathan N. Grauer, Yale University School of Medicine, Dept. of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, 47 Coll St, New Haven, CT 06510, United States. Additional authors for this research include Philip P. Ratnasamy, Oghenewoma P. Oghenesume and Gwyneth C. Maloy.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1097/bsd.0000000000001549. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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