RCT of a Care Manager Intervention for Major Depression in Primary Care: 2-Year Costs for Patients With Physical vs Psychological Complaints

Abstract

PURPOSE Depression care management for primary care patients results in sustained improvement in clinical outcomes with diminishing costs over time. Clinical benefits, however, are concentrated primarily in patients who report to their primary care clinicians psychological rather than exclusively physical symptoms. This study proposes to determine whether the intervention affects outpatient costs differentially when comparing patients who have psychological with patients who have physical complaints.