Abstract
Despite a call by researchers for estimates of the treatment effectiveness and cost effectiveness for relational problems, very little has been done to answer this call. The present study is an examination of actual treatment costs and recidivism rates for patients treated for a relational problem (either in individual or conjoint therapy sessions) in the Cigna network. Policymakers and third-party payers may use such clinical-effectiveness and cost effectiveness data to make decisions regarding treatment of relational problems and funding allocation. The present study is also the first to compare the costs of couples therapy versus family therapy for relational problems.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express appreciation to our collaborators who made this project possible: Jodi Aronson Prohofsky, Ph.D., LMFT, Former Senior Vice President of Operations, Cigna, now Senior Vice President Clinical and Network Operations, Behavioral at Magellan Health Services; Anthony G. Massey, MD, MBA, Senior Medical Director, Cigna; and David Bergman, J.D., Former Director of Legal and Government Affairs at AAMFT, now VP of Legal and External Affairs and Chief Legal Officer, National Board for Certified Counselors.
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Moore, A.M., Crane, D.R. Relational Diagnosis and Psychotherapy Treatment Cost Effectiveness. Contemp Fam Ther 36, 281–299 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-013-9277-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-013-9277-z