Table 3. Predictors of Low-Value Back Imaging by Clinician Type.
| Covariates | Adjusted Odds Ratio (95% CI) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Care Physician | Chiropractor | Specialist Physiciana | |
| Clinician's prior patient received imaging | 1.81 (1.77-1.85) | 2.80 (2.74-2.86) | 2.98 (2.88-3.07) |
| Ownership of imaging equipment | |||
| Owner, %b | 26.6 | 53.1 | 41.3 |
| Owner | 2.06 (2.03-2.10) | 7.76 (7.51-8.01) | 4.96 (4.78-5.15) |
a
The most common specialties (accounting for two-thirds of all specialist visits) were orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, back and spine surgery, physical medicine, and rheumatology.
b
Ownership was defined as clinicians who bill for the global bill or the technical component of imaging. Clinician type was defined by data vendor. Values were adjusted for all available patient demographics and out-of-pocket expenditure for visit.