The Oregon Health Authority is awaiting results on a recent decision to allow Medicaid patients to access physical therapy and other alternative therapies for low-back pain. According to a policy brief by the Health Care Cost Institute, lowering barriers to physical therapy would decrease the odds of low-back pain patients ending up in emergency rooms, using imaging and having opioid prescriptions.
http://www.bendbulletin.com/home/4042346-151/access-to-physical-therapy-lowers-cost-of-health