Chronic pain exacts a terrible toll on human well-being. More than 10 percent of Americans suffer from pain every day, according to the National Institutes of Health, and many more suffer from it sporadically. Academic research has found that pain is one of the biggest sources of unhappiness. Because of chronic pain, the use of opioids has become a public-health crisis – playing a role in some 50,000 overdose deaths in the United States last year.
By recognizing the importance of non-opioid therapies, insurance companies could improve outcomes, increase cost-effectiveness, and reduce opioid use for lower back pain by expanding non-pharmacological coverage such as physical therapy and chiropractic care, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.
Expanding beneficiary access to physical therapy, chiropractic, and acupuncture services may allow payers to provide clinically-proven solutions for temporary pain without relying on opioid prescriptions.
Physical therapists partner with patients, their families, and other health care professionals to manage pain, often reducing or eliminating the need for opioids. Research has shown that a simple education session with a physical therapist can lead to improved function, range of motion, and decreased pain.
Many payers already cover non-opioid pain management and treatment services to some degree, but they often limit the duration of services or require administrative actions that could create barriers to care. The study found that sixty-seven percent of commercial and MA plans had visit limits on physical therapy and 62 percent of plans had limits on chiropractic visits.
Given the massive opioid public health crisis, it is time for providers and insurance companies to prioritize physical therapy as a front-line treatment for chronic pain.