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The following is a summary of “Costs of physician and diagnostic imaging services for shoulder, knee, and low back pain conditions: A population-based study in Alberta, Canada,” published in the November 2024 issue of Pain by Thanh et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to estimate the utilization and costs of physician and diagnostic imaging (DI) services for shoulder, knee, and low-back pain (LBP) conditions and to examine the factors influencing the utilizations and costs.  

They included all patients visiting a physician for shoulder, knee, or LBP conditions (identified by ICD-9 codes) in Alberta, Canada, during the fiscal year (FY) 2022/2023. The outcomes of interest were the number and cost of physician visits and DI exams, stratified by condition, physician specialty, DI modality, and patient sex and age. The Multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify the factors influencing the outcomes.  

The results showed that in FY 2022/2023, 10.4%, 7.0%, and 6.7% of the population visited physicians for shoulder, knee, and LBP conditions, respectively. This incurred a cost of $307.04 million ($67.93 per capita), with shoulder, knee, and LBP contributing 41%, 28%, and 31%, respectively. Additionally, 17,734 computed tomography (CT), 43,939 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 686 ultrasound (US), and 170,936 X-ray exams related to these conditions were ordered, totaling $29.07 million, with CT, MRI, US, and X-ray accounting for 14%, 48%, 0%, and 37%, respectively. Female patients, older age, higher comorbidity scores, and capital zone residents utilized physician services more frequently. Those with higher comorbidity scores or more physician visits were more likely to be referred for CT or MRI.  

Investigators concluded that musculoskeletal conditions led to significant healthcare utilization and substantial health system costs due to physician visits and DI.  

Source: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20494637241298246