Telephone-Based Depression Treatment Program Found To Reduce Costs Of Heart Surgery Patients

People with depression following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery who participated in an eight-month telephone-delivered collaborative care intervention for treating depression called “Bypassing the Blues” (BtB) had fewer depression symptoms, better quality of life, lower pain levels, and incurred lower treatment costs compared to those who received usual care following CABG surgery. Median health care costs for the intervention group were 11% lower than those who received usual care. BtB is a nurse-led intervention delivered via regular telephone calls. Although the BtB program cost about $460 per person to deliver for eight months, the median cost . . .