Improving the Cost-Effectiveness of a Healthcare System for Depressive Disorders by Implementing Telemedicine: A Health Economic Modeling Study.
Improving the Cost-Effectiveness of a Healthcare System for Depressive Disorders by Implementing Telemedicine: A Health Economic Modeling Study.
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2013 Jun 4;
Lokkerbol J, Adema D, Cuijpers P, Reynolds CF, Schulz R, Weehuizen R, Smit F
OBJECTIVES: Depressive disorders are significant causes of disease burden and are associated with substantial economic costs. It is therefore important to design a healthcare system that can effectively manage depression at sustainable costs. This article computes the benefit-to-cost ratio of the current Dutch healthcare system for depression, and investigates whether offering more online preventive interventions improves the cost-effectiveness overall. METHODS: A health economic (Markov) model was used to synthesize clinical and economic evidence and to compute population-level costs and effects of interventions. The model compared a base case scenario without preventive telemedicine and alternative scenarios with preventive telemedicine. The central outcome was the benefit-to-cost ratio, also known as return-on-investment (ROI). RESULTS: In terms of ROI, a healthcare system with preventive telemedicine for depressive disorders offers better value for money than a healthcare system without Internet-based prevention. Overall, the ROI increases from €1.45 ($ 1.72) in the base case scenario to €1.76 ($ 2.09) in the alternative scenario in which preventive telemedicine is offered. In a scenario in which the costs of offering preventive telemedicine are balanced by reducing the expenditures for curative interventions, ROI increases to €1.77 ($ 2.10), while keeping the healthcare budget constant. CONCLUSIONS: For a healthcare system for depressive disorders to remain economically sustainable, its cost-benefit ratio needs to be improved. Offering preventive telemedicine at a large scale is likely to introduce such an improvement. HubMed – addiction
[Summary of the practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in adolescents and adults with addictions].
Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2013; 157(24): A6025
Matthys F, Joostens P, van den Brink W, Sabbe B
– Various guidelines are available for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in adults, but not for patients with ADHD and a comorbid substance use disorder (SUD).- In 2010, the Addiction Medicine Working Party, a division of the VAD (Verenigingvoor Alcohol- en andere Drugproblemen / Association for Alcohol and other Drug Problems) developed a practice guideline on how, when and by whom ADHD can be diagnosed in patients with an addiction, and how these patients should be treated.- Given the high prevalence of ADHD in treatment-seeking SUD patients and the availability of valid screening instruments, all SUD patients should be screened for ADHD as soon as their drug use has stabilized. – Acquiring information from external sources as well as clinical observation and questionnaires are important tools for the establishment of the diagnosis of ADHD. – Integrated treatment primarily includes psycho-education, coaching and cognitive behavioural therapy in addition to pharmacotherapy.- Evidence-based treatments for addiction may also be effective in patients with concomitant ADHD, provided the methods are adapted to the limitations that are associated with this condition. HubMed – addiction
Cost of specialized addiction treatment of clients with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Canada.
BMC Public Health. 2013 Jun 11; 13(1): 570
Popova S, Lange S, Burd L, Urbanoski K, Rehm J
BACKGROUND: Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) constitute a special population that may be at particularly high risk for substance use. The purpose of the current study was to estimate the utilization of specialized addiction treatment services (SATS) and the associated cost, as a part of the total cost of health care associated with FASD in Canada. METHODS: The current study was a modeling study. Data on SATS by lifetime mental disorder status were obtained from the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Information System (DATIS) in Ontario, Canada for 2010/11. The number of clients with FASD who received SATS in Ontario in 2010/11 was estimated, assuming that approximately 37% (confidence interval: 21.6%-54.5%) of individuals with FASD abuse or are addicted to alcohol and/or drugs and that their utilization rate of SATS is the same as those for people with a lifetime mental disorder. The data from DATIS was then extrapolated to the total Canadian population. RESULTS: The cost of SATS for clients with FASD in Canada in 2010/11 ranged from $ 1.65 million Canadian dollars (CND)to CND $ 3.59 million, based on 5,526 outpatient visits and 9,529 resident days. When the sensitivity analysis was performed the cost of SATS ranged from $ 979 thousand CND to $ 5.34 million CND. CONCLUSIONS: Special attention must be paid to at-risk groups of individuals such as those with FASD, in order to reduce the likelihood of the development of co-morbid substance abuse problems, and thus, reducing the overall burden on Canadian society. HubMed – addiction