Dive Brief:
- According to a retrospective study released this week by Humana and Catasys Inc., integration of a substance abuse treatment program into population-based behavioral care helped improve health outcomes and lower costs.
- The Humana/Catasys substance abuse treatment study used claims-based analytics to identify individuals at risk for medical and psychiatric complications from substance abuse and proactively engage them in treatment and care coaching over a 52-week period.
- Results of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health show that approximately 23 million Americans need treatment for a substance abuse disorder, but less than 11% receive treatment. Under the current system, more than 20 million people who may benefit from substance abuse treatment are overlooked.
Dive Insight:
The objectives of the Humana/Catasys study were to compare changes in emergency room visits and inpatient hospitalizations and changes in total cost of care for program participants versus eligible non-participants. "The improved health outcomes results clearly reflect the benefits that population health can achieve by integrating substance abuse programs," said Dr. Larry Weinstein, Chief Medical Officer for LifeSynch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Humana that provides behavioral health services. "By taking a proactive approach, as opposed to a reactive one, we were able to reach people at risk for medical and psychiatric complications from substance use disorders. This enabled us to take the necessary steps to help people improve their health."
Healthcare costs dropped an average of 46% for the participant group, whereas non-participant costs increased an average of 14%.