Collaborative psychiatric care in a rural family medicine setting reduces health care utilization in depressed patients.

Collaborative care by primary care physicians and psychiatrists has been shown to improve adherence to treatment and symptoms in patients with major depression. The authors examined whether such a care model would alter health care utilization by depressed patients. Ambulatory visits and inpatient hospital days were compared for 49 patients with depression and 49 matched patients (age/gender/ severity of co-morbid conditions) who were not depressed. Use of health care services was measured 1 year before intervention and 1 year after intervention and compared with that of the control patients. The authors concluded that depressed patients make fewer visits to health care providers when a psychiatrist is involved in their care.