Adaptive Approaches to Physical Pain Treatment Modalities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Analysis.

Despite the lack of proven efficacy, opioids historically have been used for the treatment of noncancer back pain. A variety of other effective therapeutic options for pain management are becoming more available over time. In 2016, Oregon implemented a unique and novel policy to improve evidence-based back pain care and promote safer and more effective opioid prescribing through the state's Medicaid program, the Oregon Health Plan.

"It Has Improved My Practice to Be Able to Offer Alternative Treatments": A Longitudinal Qualitative Study of Oregon Medicaid Back Pain Providers.

This study aimed to understand health care providers' experiences implementing the Oregon Back Pain Policy (OBPP) over time. The Medicaid OBPP expanded coverage of evidence-based nonpharmacological therapy (NPT) for back pain and restricted access to opioid therapy and interventional approaches. The study included six online, asynchronous focus groups with providers in February 2020 (Time 1) and August 2022 (Time 2).

A cross-sectional survey exploring clinician perceptions of a novel Medicaid back pain policy.

Objectives: Oregon Medicaid (Oregon Health Plan, or OHP) implemented an innovative policy in 2016 that increased coverage of evidence-based non-pharmacologic therapies (NPT, including physical therapy, massage, chiropractic, and acupuncture) while restricting opioids, epidural steroid injections, and surgeries. The objective of this study was to compare the perspectives of clinicians who see back pain patients and can prescribe pharmacologic therapies and/or refer to NPTs and clinicians who directly provide NPT therapies affected by the policy.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was administered to Oregon prescribing clinicians and NPT clinicians between December 2019 and February 2020.

Clinician Perspectives on Referring Medicaid Back Pain Patients to Integrative and Complementary Medicine: A Qualitative Study.

To increase understanding of referral processes from primary care to integrative and complementary medicine (ICM) under an Oregon Medicaid policy that restricted opioids and expanded access to ICM for back pain patients. Four asynchronous online focus groups with 48 medical clinicians were conducted. Themes were constructed using thematic analysis.