Including psychology services in pediatric endocrinology clinics may improve patients’ adherence to diabetes management behaviors, and, subsequently, glycemic control; however, an evaluation of the impact and cost-effectiveness of this integration is… Click to show full abstract
Including psychology services in pediatric endocrinology clinics may improve patients’ adherence to diabetes management behaviors, and, subsequently, glycemic control; however, an evaluation of the impact and cost-effectiveness of this integration is needed. The change in HbA1c and cost-effectiveness of integrated psychology services, from the hospital and insurance provider perspectives, were evaluated using a linear effects model and Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratios (ICERs). Data from 378 patients with T1D (50% female; 65% Caucasian; M age = 12.0 years) were obtained via medical chart review (2241 appointments). Patients demonstrated significant improvements in HbA1c following clinic visits in which they met with psychology ( b = − 0.16, p = 0.006). A larger proportion of the distribution of ICER values fall below the $1000/1% HbA1c threshold from both the insurance (89%) and hospital (94%) perspectives. These results indicate that providing integrated psychology services in the endocrinology clinic is highly beneficial from the patient, hospital, and insurance provider perspectives.
               
Click one of the above tabs to view related content.