[Optimized quality of care for affective disorders by health insurance-based case-management: a controlled cost-study].

OBJECTIVE: Improvement of depression treatment by health insurance based case-management. Criteria of improvement were a higher treatment rate of patients suffering from affective disorders or depression by psychiatrists or psychotherapists than by general practitioners or family doctors and sickness fund payments.
METHODS: Training of health insurance account managers (characteristics of depression, counselling and, case management techniques). Evaluation of outcomes during 12-months against a control group of account managers without training.
RESULTS: Intervention group: 87.8 % patients with in average 13.5 contacts to psychiatrists or psychotherapists; control group: 82.6 % patients with 11.8 contacts. The difference was statistically significant. Health insurance payments did not differ.
CONCLUSIONS: A higher treatment rate by psychiatrists and psychotherapists can be achieved by health insurance-based case-management without a cost-increase. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.