Cost-effectiveness analysis of a hospital-based cognitive-behavioral treatment program for eating disorders

This outcomes-management study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of a hospital-based cognitive-behavioral treatment program for eating disorders. The study found that by using a systematic, decision-tree approach to treatment, patients with severe eating disorders could be treated effectively by initiating treatment in a partial day hospital program, with less cost than when treatment was initiated at an inpatient level of care. The average cost saving of this approach was $9,645 per case. The rate of recovery for the entire sample was 63% at 12-month follow-up and did not differ as a function of initial level of care. Patients who were treated with a shorter duration of illness and at an older age of onset had the best response to treatment. A longer duration of illness was associated with higher levels of eating disorder symptoms and higher levels of depression, which suggests that the early intervention may be more effective because treatment can begin at a lower level of psychopathology.