Low back pain is prevalent worldwide and is a disabling factor of almost epidemic proportions. One in four United States adults has experienced at least one daylong episode of low back pain. Low back pain is also one of the most common presenting complaints in the primary care outpatient clinic. Literature has shown that 15-40% of low back pain may be attributed to a facet-mediated cause. In 2008 the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General released findings showing that the request for treatment of chronic low back pain from facet injections alone submitted to Medicare reached a staggering $307 million in 2006. An estimated 63% of those treated did not meet qualifications as defined by Medicare for the treatments, resulting in $96 million in improper payments to providers. The new Local Coverage Determination (LCD) requires documentation of the use of a specific pain and disability measuring tool. The purpose of the capstone project was to implement the patient-rated Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Index (ODI) at a local pain relief institute.
