Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Chronic pain is prevalent and costly; cost-effective nonpharmacological approaches that reduce pain and improve patient functioning are needed.Objective
Report the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), compared with usual care, of cognitive behavioral therapy aimed at improving functioning and pain among patients with chronic pain on long-term opioid treatment.Design
Economic evaluation conducted alongside a pragmatic cluster randomized trial.Subjects
Adults with chronic pain on long-term opioid treatment (N=814).Intervention
A cognitive behavioral therapy intervention teaching pain self-management skills in 12 weekly, 90-minute groups delivered by an interdisciplinary team (behaviorists, nurses) with additional support from physical therapists, and pharmacists.Outcome measures
Cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained, and cost per additional responder (≥30% improvement on standard scale assessment of Pain, Enjoyment, General Activity, and Sleep). Costs were estimated as-delivered, and replication.Results
Per patient intervention replication costs were $2145 ($2574 as-delivered). Those costs were completely offset by lower medical care costs; inclusive of the intervention, total medical care over follow-up was $1841 lower for intervention patients. Intervention group patients also had greater QALY and responder gains than did controls. Supplemental analyses using pain-related medical care costs revealed ICERs of $35,000, and $53,000 per QALY (for replication, and as-delivered intervention costs, respectively); the ICER when excluding patients with outlier follow-up costs was $106,000.Limitations
Limited to 1-year follow-up; identification of pain-related utilization potentially incomplete.Conclusion
The intervention was the optimal choice at commonly accepted levels of willingness-to-pay for QALY gains; this finding was robust to sensitivity analyses.
SUBMITTER: Smith DH
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9106895 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

Smith David H DH O'Keeffe-Rosetti Maureen M Leo Michael C MC Mayhew Meghan M Benes Lindsay L Bonifay Allison A Deyo Richard A RA Elder Charles R CR Keefe Francis J FJ McMullen Carmit C Owen-Smith Ashli A Trinacty Connie M CM Vollmer William M WM DeBar Lynn L
Medical care 20220330 6
<h4>Background</h4>Chronic pain is prevalent and costly; cost-effective nonpharmacological approaches that reduce pain and improve patient functioning are needed.<h4>Objective</h4>Report the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), compared with usual care, of cognitive behavioral therapy aimed at improving functioning and pain among patients with chronic pain on long-term opioid treatment.<h4>Design</h4>Economic evaluation conducted alongside a pragmatic cluster randomized trial.<h4>Subject ...[more]