SANTA ANA, Calif., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- More therapy is not necessarily better in treating patients with depression, according to a new study by PacifiCare Behavioral Health (PBH), a national managed behavioral health care organization serving more than 4 million members nationwide.
The two-year study collected data representing more than 6,000 patients who were undergoing treatment for depression. The study results challenge medical and mental health professionals’ recommendations advocating strict adherence to standard treatment protocols and longer lengths of treatment for better outcomes of severely depressed patients.
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, this sweeping adherence would cost the system an additional 20 to 30 percent in health care spending.
“The study results suggest an effective alternative: treatment success may be enhanced through the use of monitoring tools that alert clinicians to undetected risks of individual patients and their progress in therapy,” said Edward Jones, Ph.D., PBH vice president and chief clinical officer. “This approach relies on clinicians to make treatment decisions, providing more therapy to those who need it the most, and eliminating over-treatment for those who have improved.”
PBH analyzed treatment data from 6,029 adults diagnosed with depression who began treatment between Jan. 1, 2001, and Oct. 15, 2003. Data are gathered using the Life Status Questionnaire (LSQ), a 30-item patient self- report tool at the core of PBH’s ALERT(R) (ALgorithms for Early Reporting and Treatment) outcomes management system.
The ALERT system tracks individual risk factors and improvement during treatment for each patient and compares patient self-report to clinician assessment. The system also utilizes clinical algorithms to transform the raw patient data into information clinicians and PBH care managers can use to determine appropriate intensity of treatment.
The study found: * Patients who improve rapidly yet continue in therapy tend to experience the worst treatment outcomes. At each level of severity, patients with more than 12 sessions did not progress as rapidly as compared with those who underwent fewer sessions. * Some patients who respond more slowly can improve with more therapy. Clinicians who are effective in keeping slower-responding patients engaged in treatment have a high probability for improvement. * The combination of psychotherapy and medication is more effective than either intervention alone for those who are severely depressed.
“When the care plan is consistent with the needs of each individual patient, not only are outcomes better, but there are real savings in utilization and costs,” said Dr. Jones. “This is good news for employers and patients. By measuring the patient’s status using statistically valid tools, we can determine who may need only a few sessions to recover and who may need more long-term therapy to get better. Patients get what they need, and resources are used most effectively.”
The study, led by Dr. Jones and by G.S. (Jeb) Brown, Ph.D., of the Center for Clinical Informatics in Salt Lake City, was published in the August issue of Employee Benefit Plan Review.
About PacifiCare Behavioral Health
PacifiCare Behavioral Health, Inc. provides mental health, chemical dependency and employee assistance services to covered members and maintains a national network of behavioral health care practitioners. All PacifiCare Behavioral Health service centers hold three-year, Full Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as well as URAC Health Utilization Management Accreditation. PacifiCare Behavioral Health is a wholly owned subsidiary of PacifiCare Health Systems , with clients including health plans, union trust funds, employers, school districts and public sector agencies. More information on PacifiCare Behavioral Health can be obtained at http://www.pbhi.com/.
About PacifiCare Health Systems
PacifiCare Health Systems is one of the nation’s largest consumer health organizations with more than 3 million health plan members and approximately 10 million specialty plan members nationwide. PacifiCare offers individuals, employers and Medicare beneficiaries a variety of consumer-driven health care and life insurance products. Currently, more than 99 percent of PacifiCare’s commercial health plan members are enrolled in plans that have received Excellent Accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). PacifiCare’s specialty operations include behavioral health, dental and vision, and complete pharmacy and medical management through its wholly owned subsidiary, Prescription Solutions. More information on PacifiCare Health Systems is available at http://www.pacificare.com/.
For further information please contact: Dagmar King of PacifiCare Behavioral Health, +1-714-445-0453, dagmar.king@phs.com; or Dan Miller of PacifiCare Health Systems, +1-714-226-3726, dan.miller@phs.com.
PacifiCare Behavioral Health
CONTACT: Dagmar King of PacifiCare Behavioral Health, +1-714-445-0453,dagmar.king@phs.com; or Dan Miller of PacifiCare Health Systems,+1-714-226-3726, dan.miller@phs.com
