Reports Outline Complementary Medicine Study Findings from Institute for Social Medicine (A retrospective cost-analysis of additional homeopathic…

Reports Outline Complementary Medicine Study Findings from Institute for Social Medicine (A retrospective cost-analysis of additional homeopathic treatment in Germany: Long-term economic outcomes)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- Researchers detail new data in Complementary Medicine. According to news reporting originating in Berlin, Germany, by VerticalNews journalists, research stated, "This study aimed to provide a long-term cost comparison of patients using additional homeopathic treatment (homeopathy group) with patients using usual care (control group) over an observation period of 33 months. Health claims data from a large statutory health insurance company were analysed from both the societal perspective (primary outcome) and from the statutory health insurance perspective (secondary outcome)."

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Institute for Social Medicine, "To compare costs between patient groups, homeopathy and control patients were matched in a 1:1 ratio using propensity scores. Predictor variables for the propensity scores included health care costs and both medical and demographic variables. Health care costs were analysed using an analysis of covariance, adjusted for baseline costs, between groups both across diagnoses and for specific diagnoses over a period of 33 months. Specific diagnoses included depression, migraine, allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis, and headache. Data from 21,939 patients in the homeopathy group (67.4% females) and 21,861 patients in the control group (67.2% females) were analysed. Health care costs over the 33 months were 12,414 EUR [95% CI 12,022-12,805] in the homeopathy group and 10,428 EUR [95% CI 10,036-10,820] in the control group (p <0.0001). The largest cost differences were attributed to productivity losses (homeopathy: EUR 6,289 [6,118-6,460]; control: EUR 5,498 [5,326-5,670], p<0.0001) and outpatient costs (homeopathy: EUR 1,794 [1,770-1,818]; control: EUR 1,438 [1,414-1,462], p<0.0001). Although the costs of the two groups converged over time, cost differences remained over the full 33 months. For all diagnoses, homeopathy patients generated higher costs than control patients."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "The analysis showed that even when following-up over 33 months, there were still cost differences between groups, with higher costs in the homeopathy group."

For more information on this research see: A retrospective cost-analysis of additional homeopathic treatment in Germany: Long-term economic outcomes. Plos One, 2017;12(9):e0182897. (Public Library of Science - www.plos.org; Plos One - www.plosone.org)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting J.K. Ostermann, Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charite - University Medical Center, Berlin, Germany. Additional authors for this research include C.M. Witt and T. Reinhold.

Keywords for this news article include: Berlin, Europe, Germany, Homeopathy, Health Insurance, Complementary Therapy, Complementary Medicine.

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