Health
Most schizophrenics don't take meds, raising health care costs
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted April 12, 2004
A majority of patients with schizophrenia don't take their medication as they should and the patients who are not adherent cost the health care system thousands of dollars, according to a study published in the April American Journal of Psychiatry.
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine analyzed Medicaid eligibility claims data from 1998-2000 for the local area. They found that 41% of those with the illness took their medication as recommended. Another 24% didn't comply at all, and 17% took some. About 19% took more than they should. These "excess fillers" were the most expensive patients costing $14,000 more than compliant patients -- mostly for hospitalizations, although the figure also included the cost of the extra medication. Those who took their medicine as directed had substantially lower hospitalization costs, although their medication costs were higher than those who took less than they should or none at all.
The researchers hope that this information will create an incentive for those paying for the care of these patients to prioritize tight control of the disorder.
"Estimating the medical costs of nonadherence might also provide an incentive for insurers to allocate resources to improve adherence in patients with schizophrenia," said Dilip Jeste, MD, senior author and professor of psychiatry and neurosciences.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/04/12/hlbf0412.htm.
