Chronic Physical Comorbidities and Total Medical Costs in Patients with Schizophrenia
10.22722/KJPM.2018.26.1.26
- Author:
Sang Uk LEE
1
;
Ye Rin LEE
;
In Hwan OH
;
Vin RYU
;
Ae Jin GOO
;
You Seok KIM
Author Information
1. National Center for Mental Health, Seoul, Korea. kysmd@hanmail.net
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Schizophrenia;
Comorbidities;
Chronic physical comorbidities;
Medical cost
- MeSH:
Comorbidity;
Data Accuracy;
Delivery of Health Care;
Humans;
Insurance, Health;
Prevalence;
Schizophrenia
- From:Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
2018;26(1):26-34
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVES: This study tried to explore the prevalence of chronic physical diseases in patients with schizophrenia and its effects on total medical costs. METHODS: The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service data in 2014–2015 was employed. Only the injuries and diseases, identically diagnosed 3 times or more as a major or minor injury and disease, were classified into chronic physical diseases to improve data accuracy. Total medical costs included out-of-pocket and insurer's costs from health care system perspective. RESULTS: It was shown that 24.5%, 17.3% and 23.4% of schizophrenia patients had one, two and three or more chronic physical diseases, respectively. There was a high prevalence of not only metabolic, but also musculoskeletal, diseases in those patients. The amount of 2015 total medical costs of patients with schizophrenia in 2014 was about 1.08 trillion won. The factors affecting the costs included sex, age, number of chronic physical diseases, and health insurance status. CONCLUSIONS: It is considered that clinical practice guidelines based on personal diseases may not sufficiently solve the problems for comorbidities in schizophrenia patients. Accordingly, it should be required to develop models for new types of medical systems capable of treating and caring varied illnesses at the same time.
