Health plan joins with physical therapy facility to manage back and neck pain

Twenty-five billion dollars is spent each year on the medical care of back pain, and $50 billion is lost in productivity. Primary care physicians might have difficulty providing thorough counseling and treatment to their patients about the condition. In 2006, Capital Health Plan (CHP) partnered with Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy, which employed the mechanical diagnosis and therapy (MDT) technique. After undergoing this technique, members experienced a 79% improvement in pain scores and a 54% improvement in function scores, compared to when they started treatment.