Report: Chronic pain patients often don't report alternative care

A majority of Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente's chronic pain patients were found to have used acupuncture, chiropractic care or both, though many did not share this information with their physicians, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Managed Care.

The study, which included more than 6,000 chronic pain patients, found 32 percent of patients used acupuncture, 47 percent used a chiropractor and 21 percent used both. Significant portions of these patients did not report this usage to their HMO clinicians: 35 percent of acupuncture users did not discuss the care and 42 percent of chiropractic users did not discuss it with their clinicians. However, many said they would share the information with their clinicians if asked to do so. For 25 percent of acupuncture users and 43 percent of chiropractic users, the information was not recorded in the EHR.

Many patients seeking alternative care do so without regard to their insurance coverage, and by leaving alternative providers out of the loop, the lack of reporting may also affect the efficacy of care coordination, according to the study.

 

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