The effect of depression on health care utilization and costs in patients with type 2 diabetes.
The objective of the study was to estimate the effect of depression on health care utilization and costs in patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Patients were identified during a four-year enrollment period (1998-2001) from a Medicaid claims database. The final cohort consisted of 4,294 patients with type 2 diabetes (1,525 patients with depression; 2,769 patients without depression). Multivariate results indicated that significant utilization differences existed between the two groups: Patients who were depressed incurred a higher number of physician office visits, emergency room/inpatient admissions, and more prescriptions compared with patients who had diabetes but were not depressed. Patients with depression had nearly 65% higher overall health care costs than those without depression. Recognizing that depression is as a risk factor for increasing health care expenditures has the potential to improve diabetes management and related outcomes.
Kalsekar
Iftekhar D
ID
Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana 46208-3485, USA. ikalseka@butler.edu
Madhavan
Suresh M
SM
Amonkar
Mayur M
MM
Scott
Virginia
V
Douglas
Stratford M
SM
Makela
Eugene
E
D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000639:trends*; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States