Study: Early Magnetic Resonance Imaging Leads to Higher Costs, Worse Outcomes

Improper use of magnetic resonance imaging can lead to escalating interventional treatment, rising costs and worse outcomes for injured workers with lower back pain, according to a study from the Liberty Mutual Center for Disability Research. The study, published in the August issue of the journal Spine, showed that when those patients went through MRI scans within the first month after their injury, they were about 18-55 times as likely as the reference group to receive more diagnostic and invasive procedures. Barbara Webster, co-author of the study, said conservative care is usually the be...