Office Visit Screenings Save Resources

(Fall 2016) New research from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health concluded that screening Medicaid patients for drug and alcohol issues can lower drug use and improve short-term health while reducing costs. The protocol, administered to patients by health care providers during routine office visits, is known as Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT). This method can identify individuals with drug or alcohol problems or pinpoint those who may be at risk, resulting in increased use of outpatient services instead of the more expensive emergency or inpatient treatments. The University of Wisconsin study concluded that the SBIRT program lowers healthcare costs of screened patients by an average of approximately $780 over a two-year period.

Currently, few Medicaid programs reimburse for SBIRT, and those that do will not pay if the program is administered by health coaches instead of physicians. The Wisconsin researchers hope their findings spur more Medicaid reimbursement for SBIRT.

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