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Specialty Care Costs For Patients With Bipolar Disorder Are Higher Than Diabetes And Other Chronic Diseases

Date:
May 21, 2009
Source:
Mayo Clinic
Summary:
Researchers have found that bipolar disorder is more costly than other chronic conditions such as diabetes, depression, asthma or coronary artery disease.
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Mayo Clinic researchers have found that bipolar disorder (BPD) is a more costly chronic condition than diabetes, depression, asthma and coronary artery disease (CAD), based on a review of health care claim costs. Specialty care costs (the costs of seeing any specialist and all tests ordered) were especially higher for bipolar patients.

Results of this review are being presented May 21 at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in San Francisco.

“Psychiatric care costs represented only a portion of the specialty care costs for these chronic conditions, explains Mark Williams, M.D., a Mayo Clinic psychiatrist and lead researcher. This suggests that many of the specialty costs for bipolar patients are not directly related to seeing a mental health provider.”

A data review of health care claims over a four-year period, showed patients with BPD had significantly higher total per member per month costs when compared with the other groups. Only patients with both CAD and diabetes had higher costs than patients with BPD. Total costs, specialty care visits, specialty care costs, outpatient psychiatric costs and outpatient psychiatric visits were compared.


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Materials provided by Mayo Clinic. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

Mayo Clinic. "Specialty Care Costs For Patients With Bipolar Disorder Are Higher Than Diabetes And Other Chronic Diseases." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 May 2009. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090521112715.htm>.
Mayo Clinic. (2009, May 21). Specialty Care Costs For Patients With Bipolar Disorder Are Higher Than Diabetes And Other Chronic Diseases. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 29, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090521112715.htm
Mayo Clinic. "Specialty Care Costs For Patients With Bipolar Disorder Are Higher Than Diabetes And Other Chronic Diseases." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090521112715.htm (accessed March 29, 2024).

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