Initiating Clozapine Treatment in the Outpatient Clinic: Service Utilization and Cost Trends

OBJECTIVE: Clozapine has been shown to be a cost-effective treatment for refractory psychosis among patients started on the medication in a hospital setting. The study examined service utilization and costs associated with clozapine treatment initiated in an outpatient clinic. METHODS: Subjects (N=28) included adult patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who began their clozapine treatment at an urban community mental health center. Subjects' charts were reviewed for information on service utilization in the year before and after starting clozapine, using an intent-to-treat approach. Hospitalization information was cross-checked against the Illinois Department of Human Services database. Costs were computed for hospitalization, medication, community outpatient services, and housing. RESULTS: Subjects' mean rate of hospitalization was reduced by more than half during the clozapine treatment year, and the mean number of days in the hospital decreased by more than two-thirds, from 23.5 days to 7.6 days. Mean hospitalization costs were reduced by more than half. Mean annual costs of medication rose from $648 in the year before clozapine treatment to $6,760 during the clozapine treatment year. Cost increases for medication, community services, and housing led to a marginal increase in the total cost of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Patients initiating clozapine treatment on an outpatient basis showed a pattern of decreased hospitalization during the first year on clozapine. The cost savings associated with decreased hospitalization substantially, though not fully, offset the increased expense of clozapine during the first year of community-based treatment.