Using medical storytelling to communicate problems and solutions in the low back pain conundrum: an evidence-based tale of twins.

Objectives: Low back pain (LBP) is the number one cause of disability world-wide. It is also the most expensive area in healthcare. Patient-centered innovations are needed.

The primary spine practitioner as a new role in healthcare systems in North America.

Background: In an article published in 2011, we discussed the need for a new role in health care systems, referred to as the Primary Spine Practitioner (PSP). The PSP model was proposed to help bring order to the chaotic nature of spine care. Over the past decade, several efforts have applied the concepts presented in that article.

The establishment of a primary spine care practitioner and its benefits to health care reform in the United States.

It is widely recognized that the dramatic increase in health care costs in the United States has not led to a corresponding improvement in the health care experience of patients or the clinical outcomes of medical care. In no area of medicine is this more true than in the area of spine related disorders (SRDs). Costs of medical care for SRDs have skyrocketed in recent years.

A hospital-based standardized spine care pathway: report of a multidisciplinary, evidence-based process.

Objective: A health care facility (Jordan Hospital) implemented a multidimensional spine care pathway (SCP) using the National Center for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Back Pain Recognition Program (BPRP) as its foundation. The purpose of this report is to describe the implementation and results of a multidisciplinary, evidence-based, standardized process to improve clinical outcomes and reduce costs associated with treatment and diagnostic testing.

Methods: A standardized SCP was developed to improve the quality of back pain care.