Behavioral-Health Treatment Can Reduce Your Hospital Use

A new research from a leading university shows that the treatment of mind and body as an integrated structure can cause to have cheaper and better medical treatment. Sujoy who is a well-known health economist with the university center found an interesting thing. He told that people who undergo primary medical care and get hospitalized often tend to acquire mental health issues. These issues are also known as substance-abuse problems. Also, it has been observed that a balanced primary care and behavioral health care increase the chances of good health. This thing is really progressive until unless there is some emergency.

Mr. Sujoy added that this type pf treatment is very important and covers the entire quality of medical care patients usually receive. If treatment is given to both mind and body, then it can reduce the excessive use of hospitals by the patients except for severe cases where medical emergency is needed. It's also important to know that this type of medical treatment is far cost efficient than the usual one. Generally, patients suffering from substance-abuse problem, if they don't receive good treatment for both mind and the body, they tend not to follow doctors' advice. Even patients with this type of health treatment are likely to be found indulged in physical problems related to their bodies.

It would be interesting to know that Nicholson foundation granted funds of around $300,000 to the university so that they can give a go to such research and, of course, can come up with a report. The primary objective of the research is to recognize the potential savings on the expenses of hospitals, service gaps, and the precise levels of the care given to patients. Accountable Care Organizations foundation's director Mr. Rachel Cahill said that so many doctors, hospitals, and myriad service providers cooperate with us to improve the care and treatment quality patients are provided with. Of course, they also share the cost savings and other financial rewards with each other.

It's really great to know that the same foundation has also provided to support the formation of seven ACOs that work with in each other's coordination. The common objective of improving the health care and treatment given to the patients while keeping the primary care and behavioral care in mind should be followed. In fact, Nicholson himself funds the pilot programs in several health centers based in Lakewood and Trenton as well. This is so because it gives opportunity to many doctors and service providers that they can analyze the patients together. To get this type of thing done, use of cognitive behavioral therapy is made online.

Tough these types of initiatives are totally new yet it would be interesting to see if this can actually reduce hospital usage and the expenses made. The report presented by university is basically focused on some communities based in New Jersey with low income. However, they have also gone through the statewide data. From that point of view, since 2008 to 2011, they have actually covered around 931,179 hospitalizations and 2.9 million emergencies.

It has been observed that only more than $950 million in emergencies and other hospitalizations were found indulged with the patients suffering from behavioral-health treatments. You would be amazed to know that around seventy-five percent of patients in four hospitals stayed on study during that time. The team of the university also had a look at condition of hospitalization available for diseases e.g. diabetes, heart failure etc.

It's great to know that around forty percent of such hospitalizations were equipped with or provided with behavioral-health problems. Let's see how much influence this research is going to have on our hospital use and the expenses made in hospitalizations.

References

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Mental_illness_treatments