Table 1
Patient and Visit Characteristics over Time (% of Visits)
| Year (Sample n) | 1999–2000 (n=3,350) | 2009–2010 (n=4,078) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (mean) | 49 | 53 | <.001 |
| Female Sex | 58 | 58 | .79 |
| Race/Ethnicitya | |||
| White | 77 | 77 | .78 |
| Black | 11 | 12 | |
| Hispanic | 7.9 | 7.7 | |
| Other | 3.3 | 3.6 | |
| Insurance Status | |||
| Private | 49 | 46 | .01 |
| Medicare | 17 | 28 | |
| Medicaid | 6.8 | 9.2 | |
| Workers' Comp | 15 | 7.9 | |
| Uninsured | 11 | 9.0 | |
| Identified PCP | 49 | 44 | .22 |
| Specialtyb | |||
| Primary Care | 56 | 54 | .60 |
| Neurology/Orthopedic Surgery | 18 | 16 | |
| All other specialties | 26 | 30 | |
| Metro Area | 84 | 88 | .41 |
| Region | |||
| Northeast | 21 | 18 | .80 |
| Midwest | 22 | 23 | |
| South | 31 | 41 | |
| West | 27 | 18 | |
| Nature of Back or Neck Pain | |||
| Chief Complaint Acute or New Onset | 33 | 27 | <.01 |
| Chief Complaint Chronic | 16 | 17 | |
| Chief Complaint Pre/Post Op | 3.7 | 0.97 | |
| Chief Complaint Preventative Visit | 0.57 | 1.1 | |
| Primary Diagnosis Only | 15 | 17 | |
| Non-primary Diagnosis and Complaint | 31 | 37 | |
aHispanic origin may include patients of any race. Other race/ethnicity includes persons of Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, American Indian, or multiple races.
bPhysician specialty was only available in NAMCS, the number of visits or denominator for this variable therefore was n=1,604 in 1999–2000 and n=2,228 in 2009–2010.