The costs of treating rheumatoid arthritis patients with complementary medicine: exploring the issue.
OBJECTIVE
To measure the marginal costs of providing complementary medicine services (mostly homoeopathy) in outpatient clinics for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to illustrate how parameters to which the cost of complementary medicine may be sensitive can be identified.


METHODS
Retrospective, observational costing study.


METHODS
The outpatient clinic of the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital.


METHODS
Random sample of 89 patients from the 427 (RA) patients attending outpatient clinics from April 1995 to March 1996.


METHODS
The marginal costs incurred by the hospital of treating 89 patients attending outpatient clinics and the relative contribution of the different resources to the total costs.


RESULTS
The total costs of treating 89 patients were 7,124 Pounds of which 543 Pounds was assumed to be fixed and the remainder variable. The marginal costs of treating additional patients, starting from zero patients treated, are presented. Consultation time (doctors and dietician) contributed to 29% of the total costs, non-conventional drugs contributed to 22% of the total costs.


CONCLUSIONS
Understanding the marginal costs of providing complementary care to RA patients will inform the debate over whether these therapies are likely to be cost-effective. In addition, those who would like to explore the practicalities of establishing a service involving complementary medicine will gain an understanding of the likely provider costs. The cost of complementary medicine appears to be most sensitive to the time spent with the patient by the doctor.
van Haselen
R A
RA
Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital, UK.
Graves
N
N
Dahiha
S
S
D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006705:Homeopathy / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies