After an auto accident, residents in different states sufferingthe same type of injury favor different types of medical treatment,with alternative medicine a more frequent choice in Washington, astudy has found.

The research based on auto injury claims was conducted by theInsurance Research Council of Malvern, Pa. IRC examined auto injuryclaim behavior in California, Illinois, Texas and Washington.

Choice differences among the states may be due to culturaldifferences and medical provider availability, according to an IRCresearcher.

Comparing data from these four states, IRC found that Californiainjury claimants go to chiropractors most often, Illinois claimantsare most likely to see an emergency room physician, whileWashington claimants are most likely to go to general practitionersas well as alternative medical providers, such as massagetherapists.

The study also found that from 1997-to-2002, per-claimantmedical expenses increased the most in Texas, compared with theother three states.

IRC's report, "Analysis of Auto Injury Insurance Claims In FourTort States," examined detailed information from auto injury claimsthat closed with payment. The organization said the four statesinvolved in the research have similar auto insuranceregulations.

The study found that:

oIn California, 57 percent of injury claimants went to achiropractor==compared with 28 percent in Illinois, 43 percent inTexas and 46 percent in Washington.
oMore than half (53 percent) of California injury claimants'medical fees came from chiropractors==compared with 26 percent inIllinois, and 44 percent in both Texas and Washington.

o In each of the four states, neck or back sprains were the mostserious injury for at least seven in 10 bodily injury claimants andat least three-quarters suffered no disability from theaccident.

oFrom 1997-to-2002, the average medical expenses claimedincreased by 39 percent in Texas==compared with 25 percent inCalifornia, 24 percent in Illinois, and 9 percent in Washington.Over this same time period, medical cost inflation was 22percent.

IRC said similar patterns emerged in first-party medicalpayments claims in California and Illinois, along with personalinjury protection claims in Texas and Washington.

In all four states, average bodily injury payments exceededclaimed economic losses, reflecting auto insurance payments forgeneral damages (sometimes referred to as pain and suffering), thestudy found.

Claimed economic losses in 2002, mainly consisting of medicalexpenses, were highest in Illinois and California bodily injuryclaims==averaging $5,506 and $5,409, respectively.

The corresponding average insurance payments to bodily injuryclaimants were $7,850 in Illinois and $7,830 in California. Incomparison with these two states, Texas claimants averaged lowerreported economic losses ($4,483) and injury payments ($5,768).

Washington injury claimants' economic losses averaged$3,833==the lowest of the four states. However, average bodilyinjury payments were $7,594 in Washington, which is near the levelsin Illinois and California.

"Auto insurance claimants often seek different types of medicaltreatment for the same types of injuries, and this apparentlyvaries by the state in which the accident occurs," explainedElizabeth Sprinkel, senior vice president of the IRC. "Regardlessof treatment type, however, insurers' bodily injury paymentsexceeded claimed expenses on average in each of these fourstates."

Vicky Kilgore, an IRC researcher, said one factor in thedifferent state expenditures is difference in coverage and policylimits.

For example, she noted differences in personal injuryprotection, first-party coverage between Texas and Washington. InTexas, the minimum amount of coverage is $2,500, compared with$10,000 in Washington.

In choosing a medical provider, she said a possible factor inchoice patterns could be "cultural differences" among states aswell as the availability and prevalence of certain types ofpractitioners.