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The estimated cost of school scoliosis screening

This is a population-based, longitudinal retrospective study of one community's school-based scoliosis screening program. To report the estimated costs of mass school-based screening for scoliosis. School scoliosis screening has been reported to cost from as little as $0. 06 to as much as $194...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Spine (Philadelphia, Pa. 1976) Pa. 1976), 2000-09, Vol.25 (18), p.2387-2391
Main Authors: YAWN, Barbara P, YAWN, Roy A
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:This is a population-based, longitudinal retrospective study of one community's school-based scoliosis screening program. To report the estimated costs of mass school-based screening for scoliosis. School scoliosis screening has been reported to cost from as little as $0. 06 to as much as $194 per child. The lower estimate considered only the cost to the school, and the higher estimate defined all children with curves of 5 degrees or more as cases. School scoliosis screening results were linked with the medical and chiropractic care records of all referred children to identify outcomes and scoliosis-related health service utilization from Grade 5 through graduation or age 19 years. Costs are presented per child screened, per child with a spinal curve of 20 degrees or more, and per child treated for scoliosis and are based on scoliosis-related health care utilization and school costs. Ninety-two (4.1%) of 2197 children screened were referred for further evaluation of possible scoliosis, and 68 (74%) of those had documented evaluation for possible scoliosis. Five of the 92 children referred were treated for scoliosis by age 19. Sixty-six scoliosis-related primary care visits, 79 scoliosis-related orthopedist visits, and 79 full spine radiographs followed referral but preceded treatment. Case-finding costs for screening were $24.66 per child screened (n = 2197), $3, 386.25 per child with a curve of 20 degrees or more (n = 16) and $10, 836.00 per child treated for scoliosis (n = 5). School scoliosis screening is significantly more costly than has previously been reported.
ISSN:0362-2436
1528-1159
DOI:10.1097/00007632-200009150-00019