A Community-Based Study of the Use of Chiropractic Services

The authors analyzed data from the RAND Health Insurance Experiment (HIE), a community-based study of the use of health services. Insurance claim forms for all fee-for-service patients who completed the study were examined for all visits coded as being seen by a chiropractor. Services provided and patient-specified symptoms were taken from the forms. Population-based use rates were calculated for each HIE site. Use rates and services were calculated separately for first visits and repeat visits. The report concludes that chiropractors deliver a substantial amount of health care to the U.S. population, and there are significant geographic variations in the rate and intensity of use of chiropractic services.