Do Acupuncture Services Reduce Subsequent Utilization of Opioids and Surgical Interventions Compared to Noninvasive Therapies among Patients with Pain Conditions?

Abstract Objective To compare prescribed opioid use and invasive surgical interventions between patients using acupuncture and those using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)/physical therapy (PT). Design Retrospective observational study of administrative claims. Setting Large commercial...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) Mass.), 2021-11, Vol.22 (11), p.2754-2762
Main Authors: Pham, Timothy, Ma, Qinli, Agiro, Abiy, Bukowiec, Julie, Flannery, Terry
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acupuncture
Acupuncture Therapy
Analgesics, Opioid - therapeutic use
Care and treatment
Comparative analysis
Drug development
Emergency medical care
Humans
Inflammation
Integrative Medicine Section
Narcotics
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Opioid-Related Disorders - drug therapy
Opioids
Pain
Pain - drug therapy
Patient outcomes
Patients
Physical therapy
Retrospective Studies
Surgery
Therapeutics, Physiological
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Summary:Abstract Objective To compare prescribed opioid use and invasive surgical interventions between patients using acupuncture and those using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)/physical therapy (PT). Design Retrospective observational study of administrative claims. Setting Large commercial insurance plan. Subjects 52 346 each treated with either acupuncture or NSAIDs/PT. Methods Users of acupuncture and NSAIDs/PT were identified from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2017. The first date of each service was defined as the index date. Acupuncture patients were 1:1 propensity score matched to the NSAIDs/PT group on baseline characteristics. Outcomes included opioid use, subsequent invasive surgical procedures, healthcare utilization such as hospitalizations or emergency department (ED) visits, and costs. These were assessed in the 12-month period before index date (baseline) and 12-month period following index date (follow-up) using difference-in-difference (DID) analysis. Results for opioid use were stratified by those with and without baseline opioid use. Results The acupuncture group had fewer patients initiating opioids post-index both among those with (49.2% vs 56.5%, P 
ISSN:1526-2375
1526-4637
DOI:10.1093/pm/pnab187