Care Costs for Bipolar Disorder Higher Than for Diabetes and Other Chronic Diseases
(Great Neck, N.Y. - May 29, 2009) — A team of Mayo Clinic researchers that included NARSAD 2006 Independent Investigator Mark Frye, M.D., has found that providing care for patients with bipolar disorder is more costly than in other chronic conditions, such as diabetes, depression, asthma or coronary artery disease.
These findings were presented on May 21, 2009, at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association.
A data review of health-care claims over a four-year period showed that patients with bipolar disorder had significantly higher total per-member monthly costs compared with patients who had the other conditions. Only patients with both coronary artery disease and diabetes had higher costs than patients with bipolar disorder. The comparison included total costs, specialty care visits, specialty care costs, outpatient psychiatric costs and outpatient psychiatric visits.
"The goal of this study is to drive practice changes that improve the efficiency and value of care for bipolar disorder with hopes to improve care while reducing costs," explained the study’s lead researcher Mark Williams, M.D.
(This article was adapted with permission from the Mayo Clinic.)
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