Time Between an Emergency Department Visit and Initiation of Physical Therapist Intervention: Health Care Utilization and Costs

The ED is an entry point into the health care system for patients with LBP. Until now, the impact of the length of time between an ED visit and physical therapy for LBP has not been well understood. This study shows that swift initiation of physical therapy following an ED visit for LBP is associated with lower LBP-related health utilization for some important outcomes and lower LBP-related health care costs.