Background: $50 billion dollars is spent annually for the healthcare of patients with smoking-related disease yet most HMOs do not reimburse the cost of smoking cessation programs.
Objectives: 1. To compare the utilization of services and costs of healthcare between a group of smokers, ex-smokers, and non-smokers in an HMO-insured primary care practice. 2. To analyze the potential cost-benefit to an HMO for covering smoking cessation and prevention programs.
Methods: Phase one determined the smoking status of the study population through medical record review. Phase two described the utilization of services and costs of care for smokers, ex-smokers, and non-smokers from HMO claims data. Phase three was a literature review to identify the costs and benefits of various smoking cessation and prevention programs. Inclusion criteria: HMO members aged 30-64 years with continuous enrollment between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 1999 were randomly selected from the administrative database.
Results/Conclusions: The study population was 260, with 26% current smokers, 14% ex-smokers, and 58% non-smokers. Ex-smokers had a significantly higher number of office visits and total prescriptions than current and non-smokers. Ex-smokers also had higher total costs, but this did not reach statistical significance. Other data describe smoking-related diseases between the three groups, an analysis of variance controlling for age, sex, and co-morbidity, and the cost-benefit analysis.
Implications for Future Health Policy: The potential costs and benefits of paying for smoking cessation and prevention programs within a large HMO, suggest that we focus program activity on adolescents and young adults.
See N/A
Learning Objectives: Discuss the issues in the development of a smoking cessation program in managed care
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: BlueCross and BlueShield of Georgia
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.