Hospitalization cost offset of a hostility intervention for coronary heart disease patients.
The authors evaluated hospitalization cost offset of hostility management group therapy for patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) from a previously published randomized controlled trial (Y. Gidron, K. Davidson, & I. Bata, 1999). Twenty-six male patients with myocardial infarction or unstable angina were randomized to either 2 months of cognitive-behavioral group therapy or an information (control) session. Therapy patients had a shorter average length of hospital stay (n = 13, M = 0.38 days, SD = 0.96) than did control patients (n = 13, M = 2.15 days, SD = 2.6), t(15.2) = -2.29, p = .04, over 6 months following therapy. The average hospitalization costs were significantly lower for therapy patients (M = 245(dollars), SD = 627(dollars)) than for control patients (M = 1,333(dollars), SD = 1,609(dollars)), t(15.6) = -2.27, p = .04. The cost-offset ratio is calculated by dividing the 1,088(dollars) of hospitalization savings by the 560(dollars) of therapy expense (1.00:1.94(dollars)), indicating that for every 1.00(dollars) spent on therapy, there is an approximate savings of 2.00(dollars) in hospitalization costs in the following 6 months. These findings support the hospitalization cost offset of hostility-reduction in CHD patients.
Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY10032, USA. kd2124@columbia.edu
Karina W
KW
Davidson
Yori
Y
Gidron
Elizabeth
E
Mostofsky
Kimberlee J
KJ
Trudeau
D000328:Adult; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000191:economics*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics*; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000191:economics*