One-year use and cost of inpatient and outpatient services among female and male patients with an eating disorder: Evidence from a national database of health insurance claims

Objective: This study examined rates and cost of inpatient and outpatient t reatment among 1,932 patients with an eating disorder. Method: One-year (19 95) data were available through MarketScan(R), a national insurance databas e containing claims for 1,902,041 male patients and 2,005,760 female patien ts. Results: Female patients (n = 1,756, 0.14% of all females) were signifi cantly more likely to have been treated for an earing disorder than male pa tients (n = 176, 0.016% of all males), and females received more days of tr eatment than males. Outpatient treatment was the norm, regardless of gender or type of eating disorder. Average number of days (inpatient or outpatien t) was less than the minimum recommended by standards of care. Age-adjusted costs for the treatment of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa were compa rable to the cost of treatment far schizophrenia. Discussion: The utilizati on data are discussed in terms of barriers to care and treatment guidelines for eating disorders. (C) 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.