The Market

There are about 100 million people in the United States who suffer from chronic pain. About 80 % of Americans suffer from some form of pain in their lifetime. Therefore, the potential market for a chronic pain detector system is enormous.

Pain has major physical, psychological and economic impact. The costs are estimated to reach as much as $ 61.2 billion per year.

We lose billions of dollars per year due to pain in medical costs, compensation and sickness absenteeism. However, most of the productive time lost as a result of pain is due to reduced performance on the job rather than time away from work.
 

TABLE 1. Most Expensive Treatment Costs In
Primary Care. Adapted from Fishman, et al 19973

It is very difficult to locate the cause of pain and it is more difficult to verify its existence.

The detection, verification and classification of pain are important not only to develop the appropriate treatment scheme but also for insurance purposes.

Locating the exact muscle or muscles that generate pain may eliminate unnecessary surgeries and other medical treatments, which can save over $25 billion per year in the US alone.


Pain and Reimbursement

Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding for using testing equipment can be confusing for several reasons. CPT codes frequently change. Individual states and/or third party payers often have their own codes which contradict the national codes. Providers may not be paid unless they comply with local guidelines.

For these reasons, practitioners are encouraged to consult the CPT code book and local third party payers for specific CPT code recommendations related to chronic pain detection services.

For example, ICD 338.0-338.4 codes relate to chronic pain syndrome are well established third parties reimbursement schemes. See more details at:

http://www.painmed.org/pract_mngmnt/coding.html