Abstract
BackgroundIntensification of outpatient psychiatric care may improve the care quality in community but also increase the total care costs in the first period as well as reduce in-patient cumulative length of stay over the medium term.ObjectiveWe investigate the economic and clinical effects of establishing of a psychiatric outpatient-service in a South-Bavarian catchment area one year before and one year after establishing.MethodsAll admitted patients in a psychiatric acute ward corresponding to the catchment area of the new outpatient- service are registered one year before establishing (2007, n = 145) and one year after (2009, n = 167). Associations between clinical, demographic and economical variables were investigated by means of multivariate regression analysis. Control variables are sex, age and psychiatric diagnostic groups.ResultsCumulative length of stay (b = −1.72, p = 0.68) and number of admissions (b = −0.10; p = 0.28) decreased, but not significantly. In-patient as well as global care costs remains the same. Costs of prescribed psychopharmacological drugs (b = 54.4; p = 0.36) and outpatient psychiatric care (b = 67.8; p = 0.15) increase obviously, but not significantly.ConclusionsAdditional implementation of an outpatient-service is not related to increase of service use costs. We found out, that in the first year there is a demand increasing effect. The effects on in-patient parameters and diagnosis groups have to be observed for the following years.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.