A Retrospective Multicenter Analysis of Osteopathic Manipulation in Academic and Community Settings

Introduction Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) has a first-line recommendation from the American Academy of Family Physicians and American College of Physicians for the treatment of chronic neck and low back pain, but it remains underutilized. Understanding patterns in the use of OMT in various treatment settings can help guide strategies for improving patient access to this valuable treatment modality. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10)) and procedure (CPT) codes from a large, multicenter health system during the period of January 2022 through May 2023. We compared the volume of use between academic and community settings. Primary diagnoses and somatic symptom diagnoses were analyzed to determine indications for the use of OMT, and these indications were compared against evidence-based guidelines. Results Our search revealed 10,304 outpatient visits where OMT was utilized. OMT addressing the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine accounted for 3799 (15.07%), 4193 (16.63%), and 3891 (15.43%) of the total body regions treated during these visits. Visits utilizing OMT most commonly treated three to four body regions (4541; 44.1%), followed by five to six body regions (3004; 29.2%). Conclusions Overall, the utilization of OMT remains low across our health system. Further research is needed to determine the best support for current and future physicians to utilize OMT for evidence-based indications.