Chiropractic Versus Medical Care This was a retrospective statistical analysis of 2 years of data to compare health care costs of patients who receive chiropractic treatment for common, neuromusculoskeletal disorders with those who are treated by medical and osteopathic physicians. A to tal of 395,641 patients with 1 or more of the 493 neuromusculoskeletal ICD- 9 codes were evaluated. Approximately ¼ of the patients were treated by chiropractors. Patients receiving chiropractic care had significantly lower health care costs as represen ted by third party payments in the fee-for-service sector. Total cost differences on the order of $1,000 over the 2-year period were found in the total sample of patients and in subsamples of patients with specific disorders. The lower costs were attri buted to lower inpatient utilization. These preliminary results suggest a significant cost- saving potential for users of chiropractic care. The author encourages the reexamination of insurance practices and programs that restrict chiropractic coverage relative to medical coverage. Approximately 20% of the population in 1980 suffered from problems involving the joints or back. Treatment for those problems alone accounted for 8% of the national health care expenditures, equivalent to approximately $60 b illion. 18644 "A Comparison of Health Care Costs For Chiropractic and Medical Patients", Stano, Miron, Ph.D., Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, June 1993;16(5):291-299. (Address: Miron Stano, Professor of Economics and Management, School of Busin ess Administration, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309-4401, U.S.A.)

BACK PAIN - Chiropractic - This study evaluated 6,183 patients who had medical or chiropractic care as their first contact providers for common lumbar and low back conditions. There were lower costs for episodes in which chiropractors served as initial c ontact providers along with favorable satisfaction and quality indicators from patients. Chiropractors deserve more consideration in gatekeeper strategies adopted by employers and third party payers to control health-care spending. "Chiropractic and Me dical Costs of Low Back Care," Stano, Miron, Ph.D. and Smith, Monica, D.C., Medical Care, 1996;34(3):194-204. (Address: Miron Stano, Ph.D., School of Business Administration, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309 U.S.A.) 24437 [ort]