[Cost structure of a telephone-based case management in primary care depression therapy]

Case management by health care assistants in small primary care practices has proven effective in improving depression symptoms in depressive patients. Resource consumption and costs of this intervention have not been evaluated yet.

Health care assistants and general practitioners of 15 participating practices were interviewed for intervention-related time expenditures. Intervention costs were based on individual labour costs.

The annual time spent was 6.3 h per patient for health care assistants and 3.6 h for general practitioners (mean 8.9 patients per practice). The case management caused costs of € 277 per patient and year.

A telephone-based case management as add-on therapy improves quality of primary care depression therapy while causing only moderate costs for health care providers.