The economic impact of increased use of multi-modal analgesia for the management of post-surgical pain in the hospital setting

Abstract

Acupuncture use was nearly six times more common among chiropractic users than in the overall population (2.2% vs. 0.37%); similarly, nearly half (42.5%) of acupuncture users also had a claim for chiropractic. Over one-in-five patients (21.0%) with general joint or back pain used chiropractic, of which 2.65% also used acupuncture. CONCLUSIONS: Despite trends suggesting increased use of chiropractic and acupuncture, their use remains very low in commercial health insurance plans, including patients with inflammation and pain-related conditions. While still very low, acupuncture use was more common among chiropractic users than in the overall population.