Study: Intense Care Management Cuts Costs

Providing extensive support from well-trained nurses and doctors may cut the cost of caring for seriously ill patients sharply without hurting their satisfaction or shortening their life expectancy.

A team of researchers led by a scientist at Carnegie Mellon University of have published a study supporting that conclusion in a recent issue of the American Journal of Managed Care.

The researchers compared the effects of ordinary care management and intensive care management on 756 seriously ill members of health plans administered by Blue Shield of California, San Francisco.

The aggressive care management program cut medical costs to $49,742 per patient, from an average of $68,341 for members of the group that received ordinary care management.