Cost-effectiveness and health care utilization in a multidisciplinary paincenter: Comparison of three treatment groups

Recent literature supports the efficacy of multidisciplinary pain managemen t in treating persons suffering from chronic pain. However, the components of multidisciplinary pain management need to be evaluated in terms of effec ts on patients' quality of life as well as saving of future health care dol lars. Therefore, cost-effectiveness of three treatment groups was compared by examining treatment outcome, posttreatment health care costs, and posttr eatment health care visits. Results revealed that patients receiving both m edical and psychological treatment (multidisciplinary pain management) exhi bited the largest improvements in functional capacity, while being the leas t costly after their treatment program had ended. In contrast, patients who received only medical treatment exhibited significant deterioration in out come after their treatment ended, and consumed substantially more posttreat ment health care dollars.