A Reduction in Health Care Expenditures Linked to Mental Health Service Use Among Adults With Chronic Physical Conditions.
Psychiatr Serv
; 72(7): 766-775, 2021 07 01.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33940945
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
The aim was to examine the impact of receipt of mental health services on health care expenditures for U.S. adults with major chronic physical conditions.METHODS:
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data for 2004-2014 were analyzed for adults ages ≥18 with at least one of six chronic physical conditions (cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, emphysema, asthma, and arthritis) who were followed up for 2 years (N=33,419). Outcomes included overall health care spending and expenditure by service type (inpatient services, outpatient services, emergency department visits, office-based physician visits, and prescribed medication). A difference-in-differences model compared a change in health care costs in the subsequent year for those who did and did not receive mental health services in the preceding year.RESULTS:
On average, the increase in overall health care expenditure in the subsequent year among adults receiving mental health services in the preceding year was smaller by 12.6 percentage points (p<0.05) than for those who did not receive such services. The difference was equivalent to $1,146 in 2014 constant U.S. dollars (p=0.05). Medication treatment alone did not have a meaningful effect on overall costs. The combination of psychotherapy and medication was associated with a per-capita reduction in overall health care expenditure of 21.7 percentage points, or $2,690 (p<0.01). The combination was also associated with reduced costs for office-based visits (p<0.05) and medication (p<0.05).CONCLUSIONS:
Receipt of mental health services was associated with a reduction in overall health care costs, particularly for office-based visits and prescribed medication, among adults with chronic physical conditions.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Gastos en Salud
/
Servicios de Salud Mental
Tipo de estudio:
Health_economic_evaluation
Límite:
Adult
/
Child, preschool
/
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Psychiatr Serv
Asunto de la revista:
PSIQUIATRIA
Año:
2021
Tipo del documento:
Article