Costs of Treating Conduct Disordered Medicaid Youth with and without Family Therapy

This longitudinal, retrospective study investigated the healthcare costs of youth treated for conduct disorder in the Kansas Medicaid system. Along with a comprehensive range of services, youth received in-office individual therapy, in-office family therapy, or in-home family therapy. Data was available for 3753 youth. Overall, 3086 youth received care that included individual therapy (and no family therapy), 503 received in-home family therapy and 164 others received in-office family therapy. Healthcare costs for a period of two and one half years after therapy were available for analysis. The average cost of healthcare for youth receiving no family therapy was $16, 260. For those receiving in-office family therapy, the average cost was $11,116. Youth who received in-office family therapy received $5,144 (32%) less care on average than those receiving only individual therapy. Those who received in-home family therapy averaged $1,622 over the follow-up the period. Those who received in-home family therapy were least expensive of all, averaging at least 85% less than any form of in-office therapy. There does not appear to be an increase in the healthcare cost when family therapy is included in treatment.

An earlier version of this manuscript was presented at the annual conference of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, October, 2003.

Notes

*p < .012

**p < .001.