Electrodiagnostic services in the United States. Muscle Nerve 2004 Feb;29(2):198-204
Date
02/03/2004Pubmed ID
14755483DOI
10.1002/mus.10553Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0842304507 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 20 CitationsAbstract
To identify patterns of service provision in the United States, electrodiagnostic encounters were characterized by analyzing data from the 1998 MarketScan Commercial Claims & Encounters Database (The MEDSTAT Group). Electrodiagnostic-related claims were identified using CPT codes for nerve conduction studies, electromyography, and somatosensory evoked potentials. Over 130,000 electrodiagnostic claims representing 48,207 separate electrodiagnostic encounters were identified. Neurologists accounted for the highest percentage of physician providers (23.6%), followed closely by physiatrists (22%). Physiatrists performed the services at a higher rate than any other provider (886.3 studies per 100 practicing physiatrists). Electrodiagnostic encounters by nonphysician providers accounted for 16.9% of all studies. Physical therapists were the dominant nonphysician providers of electrodiagnostic services (9.3%), followed by podiatrists (5.5%). Physician providers had a median of three claims per encounter compared with one claim per encounter for nonphysician providers. The relatively large proportion of studies conducted by nonphysicians, as well as their limited extent of testing, raises concerns about the quality of care for these patients. These quality issues should be addressed in future studies.
Author List
Dillingham TR, Pezzin LE, Rice JBAuthor
Liliana Pezzin PhD, JD Professor in the Institute for Health and Equity department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentAdult
Aged
Chi-Square Distribution
Child
Child, Preschool
Electrodiagnosis
Female
Health Personnel
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Male
Middle Aged
Statistics, Nonparametric
United States
