[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).

[Long-term health insurance payments for depression in Germany - a secondary analysis of routine data].

Background: A common disease, depression poses a significant burden both to the individual and to society. Despite the growing body of health economics research, cost studies still most frequently stem from English speaking countries. Also, even in the international literature, there is a lack of data dealing with the topic of longterm costs.

[Lowering vocational rehabilitative measures during inpatient psychiatric longterm treatment costs of patients with schizophrenia? Results of a controlled multicenter study].

Objective: Little is known about the effectiveness and the cost of care for patients treated in vocational rehabilitation programs,although vocational therapy is an essential part of inpatient treatment and community care of patients with schizophrenia.

Methods: As a part of a randomised controlled trial in 5 centres, the long-term direct cost of care for patients with schizophrenia,being treated with different vocational rehabilitation programs during an index-stay in a psychiatric hospital were assessed. results were compared to controls who received non-specific ergo-therapeutic treatment instead.

[Expenditures for members of a health insurance company suffering from alcoholism - a payer's view].

Aim: In this study, expenditures of a health insurance company for alcoholics are calculated and analysed.

Method: Data are derived from the company's records. To participate in this study, subjects had to have a clearly alcohol-related diagnosis during a stay in hospital or a time-off work in 2001 (index-year).

[Cost of care for depressive disorders in primary and specialized care in Germany].

Service utilization and total direct cost of care was assessed in 270 patients suffering from depressive disorder. Patients were recruited from primary care physicians or family doctors (n = 43) or psychiatrists (n = 23) in office practice, from three different regions in Germany (county of Düren and city of Aachen, Lörrach-county, city of Munich). A detailed catalogue of unit costs (including inpatient, outpatient and rehabilitative services) was used for calculating total cost of care on an individual basis.

Alcoholism and somatic comorbidity among homeless people in Mannheim, Germany.

Aims: To assess the prevalence of alcoholism and somatic codisorders of homeless people.

Design: Epidemiological cross-sectional field study in a sample of the homeless in the area.

Setting: The study was conducted from 1997 to 1999 in the inner-city area of Mannheim, Germany (approximately 320 000 inhabitants).