Korean J Psychosom Med.  2018 Jun;26(1):26-34. 10.22722/KJPM.2018.26.1.26.

Chronic Physical Comorbidities and Total Medical Costs in Patients with Schizophrenia

• Lee SU
• Lee YR
• Oh IH
• Ryu V
• Goo AJ
• Kim YS

• KMID: 2437720
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.22722/KJPM.2018.26.1.26

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.

Keyword

Schizophrenia; Comorbidities; Chronic physical comorbidities; Medical cost

MeSH Terms

Comorbidity*
Data Accuracy
Delivery of Health Care
Humans
Insurance, Health
Prevalence
Schizophrenia*