AJMC® in the Press, October 5, 2018

An article from Becker’s Spine Review centered around a study published in The American Journal of Managed Care^®. The study, “Medicare Savings From Conservative Management of Low Back Pain,” found that Medicare beneficiaries with low-risk low back pain (LBP) often receive early imaging studies, which is associated with greater long-term costs than a conservative diagnostic strategy. The researchers also concluded that Medicare expenditures could be reduced by $362 million annually by managing newly diagnosed LBP in accordance with clinical guidelines.