title: Improving antipsychotic adherence among patients with schizophrenia: savings for states.
abstract: This column presents findings of an analysis conducted to quantify the potential net savings to state budgets from interventions to improve adherence to antipsychotic drugs among patients with schizophrenia. Using a financial model based on published data, the authors estimated costs of direct medical care and criminal justice system involvement at state and national levels and validated it against findings from other cost studies. The model estimated an annual cost of $21.4 billion (in 2013 dollars) to Medicaid programs and other state agencies for people with schizophrenia. On the basis of data on the effect on outcomes of increased medication adherence, better adherence could yield annual net savings of $3.28 billion to states or $1,580 per patient per year. Innovations to improve adherence to antipsychotic drugs among schizophrenia patients can yield substantial savings in state budgets. States should consider interventions shown to increase medication adherence in this patient group.
authors.affiliation: The authors are with the RAND Corporation. Mr. Predmore and Dr. Mattke are at the Boston office, and Dr. Horvitz-Lennon is at the Pittsburgh office. Send correspondence to Dr. Mattke (e-mail: mattke@rand.org ). Steven S. Sharfstein, M.D., Haiden A. Huskamp, Ph.D., and Alison Evans Cuellar, Ph.D., are editors of this column.
authors.forename: Zachary S
authors.initials: ZS
authors.lastname: Predmore
authors.forename: Soeren
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mattke
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horvitz-Lennon
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017046:Cost Savings; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D008484:Medicaid / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014481:United States; D016903:Drug Monitoring
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents