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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2009 Mar 19.
Published in final edited form as: Ann Intern Med. 2008 Dec 16;149(12):845–853. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-149-12-200812160-00003

Appendix Table.

Unit Costs for Specific Items, in 2004 U.S. Dollars

Type of Cost Unit Cost, $
Direct
 Any health care visit
  Surgeon 37.88
  Physician 41.07
  Chiropractor 21.11
  Physical therapy 45.68
  Acupuncture 65.05
  Other 38.89
 Any diagnostic tests
  Magnetic resonance imaging without contrast 566.54
  Magnetic resonance imaging with contrast 622.93
  Radiography 66.10
  Computed tomography 292.78
  Electromyography 103.64
 Other health care services
  Injection 122.84
  Emergency department visit 87.10
  Rehabilitation or nursing home stay (per day) 255.27
  Paid caregiver (per hour) 29.87
 Medication costs (per day)
  NSAID/COX-2 inhibitor 4.26
  Oral steroids 10.18
  Narcotics 5.24
  Muscle relaxants 5.08
  Antidepressants 2.59
  Other 5.10
  Over-the-counter medications 0.73
  Alternative medications 0.57
Indirect
 Work loss (per hour) 28.42
 Unpaid caregiver (per hour) 16.29
 Missed homemaking (per hour) 15.00

COX-2 = cyclooxygenase-2; NSAID = nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.