Department of Health Management and Informatics A Study of Low Back Pain Treatment Modalities Using National Ambulatory Medical Survey (NAMCS) Data Danielle N. Atkins, PhD Department of Health Management and Informatics

Research Question What are the predicting factors of treatment modality for lower back pain in the ambulatory care setting?

Data National Ambulatory Medical Survey (NAMCS) A probability sample of outpatient visits to nonfederal, office-based physician practices Can produce nationally representative sample of ambulatory patient visits in the United States Includes data elements on: Up to 3 diagnoses Up to 30 medications Other treatments (e.g., physical therapy) Patient demographics Practice characteristics

Probability of Treatment Modality for Orthopedic Specialists Compared to Primary Care Specialists Orthopedic specialists were -11.6 percentage points less likely to prescribe an opioid than primary care specialists. Orthopedic specialists were +15.4 percentage points more likely to order physical therapy than primary care specialists. There was no difference between specialty for the likelihood of prescribing non-opioid analgesics. +15.4 percentage points No difference -11.6 percentage points

Future Work Evaluating the effect of electronic prescribing of controlled substances on adverse drug events and overdose morbidity and mortality. Using Medicare claims data (Part D) Mapping access to care and health outcomes using GIS

Thank you! Danielle N. Atkins, PhD Email: danielle.atkins@ucf.edu