Bray J, Eric F, Bray J, Chen H; AcademyHealth. Meeting (2003 : Nashville, Tenn.).

Abstr AcademyHealth Meet. 2003; 20: abstract no. 489.

RTI, 3040 Cornwallis Rd, RTP, NC 27709 Tel. (919) 541-7003 Fax (919) 541-6683

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: Several researchers have hypothesized that providing antidepressants to select claimants with mental illness might result in a cost savings if the drugs are effective in reducing the symptoms associated with their illness. This analysis estimates the incremental health care costs or savings associated with prescription antidepressant use among individuals with mild depression in the Medicaid population. STUDY DESIGN: Secondary data analysis using administrative claims data from Michigan State Medicaid Research Files (SMRF) claims from 1994 to 1997. Separate analyses are conducted for annual total health care costs, annual health care costs attributable to mental health/substance abuse (MH/SA), and non-MH/SA related annual health care costs. Adults (age 18 and over) first presenting with dysthymia and depression not otherwise specified (ICD-9 codes 300.4 and 311, respectively) are followed over three years to assess the health care costs implications of antidepressant use. Multivariate longitudinal data models are used to control demographic and case mix differences across individuals. POPULATION STUDIED: The Michigan adult Medicaid population is studied. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Results indicate that individuals with mild depression who use antidepressants have higher annual health care costs than those who do not use antidepressants, even after controlling for the cost of the antidepressants. This finding holds for total health care costs, MH/SA health care costs, and non-MH/SA health care costs. CONCLUSIONS: Despite marketing promises of lowered health care costs offsetting high antidepressant costs, we find that antidepressant use is associated with higher annual health care costs among the mildly depressed in Medicaid. This finding controls for demographic and case mix difference between those using antidepressants and those not using them. IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY, DELIVERY OR PRACTICE: Our results suggest that arguments of cost savings resulting from antidepressant use may be exaggerated.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Adult
• Antidepressive Agents
• Costs and Cost Analysis
• Depression
• Depressive Disorder
• Diagnosis-Related Groups
• Dysthymic Disorder
• Health Care Costs
• Humans
• Medicaid
• Mental Disorders
• Michigan
• Substance-Related Disorders
• economics
• utilization
• hsrmtgs

Other ID:

• GWHSR0003784

UI: 102275463

From Meeting Abstracts