Effectiveness of psychiatric intervention with somatization disorder patients: Improved outcomes at reduced costs

In order to determine the health effects of an intervention that reduces the cost of care for somatization disorder (SD) patients, 59 primary care physicians were randomized to receive a psychiatric consultation letter providing treatment recommendations for 73 patients either at baseline or the end...

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Published inGeneral hospital psychiatry Vol. 16; no. 6; pp. 381 - 387
Main Authors Rost, Kathryn, Kashner, T.Michael, Smith, G.Richard
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.11.1994
Elsevier Science
Subjects
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Comorbidity
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Health Care Costs
Health Status Indicators
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Mental health
Middle Aged
Organization of mental health. Health systems
Outcome Assessment (Health Care)
Prognosis
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Referral and Consultation
Single-Blind Method
Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry
Somatoform Disorders - economics
Somatoform Disorders - therapy
United States
North America
America
Human
Psychiatric consultation
Psychosomatics
General practitioner
Health economy
Mental health
Somatoform disorder
Somatic complaint
Adult
Somatic conversion
Health service
Cost analysis
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Summary:In order to determine the health effects of an intervention that reduces the cost of care for somatization disorder (SD) patients, 59 primary care physicians were randomized to receive a psychiatric consultation letter providing treatment recommendations for 73 patients either at baseline or the end of the year-long study. Seventy of these patients (96%) were followed every 4 months for 1 year by a research assistant blind to randomization. A year following the intervention, patients of experimental physicians reported greater physical capacity than patients of control physicians (X̄ difference = 17.9, 95% CI 1.0–34.9) with a $466 reduction (95% CI $132–$699) in health care charges. In addition to a net 21% reduction in health care charges for the typical SD patient, the consultation letter improved physical functioning in a group of highly impaired subjects.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
ObjectType-News-3
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ISSN:0163-8343
1873-7714
DOI:10.1016/0163-8343(94)90113-9