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The Case for Homeopathy

E. HOMEOPATHY IS COST-EFFECTIVE

i. Considerable potential for cost-saving
ii. Savings demonstrated by U.K. homeopathic hospitals
iii. Savings in France
iv. Children with diarrhoea cost the health system less, when treated with homeopathy
v. South African perspective
vi. Conclusion

In 1985, the superintendent of the Johannesburg General Hospital, the academic flag-ship of the University of the Witwatersrand’s medical school, told the incoming group of interns that the ‘golden age’ of unlimited spending on technological medicine had passed. The difficult choices politicians have to make regarding allocation of scarce resources affects medical decision-making at every level. Profit-driven private health insurance providers also seek ways to constrain medical spending.

Against this background, it is necessary to document the financial implications of integrating the use of homeopathy in doctor’s daily practices.

Considerable potential for cost-saving
Dr. Jennifer Jacobs, previously of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S.A., found that there is considerable potential for cost-saving 52 when she studied the practice patterns of medical doctors using homeopathy, in a study published in the Archives of Family Medicine in 1998. She found that whilst physicians using homeopathic medicines spent more time with their patients, they ordered fewer tests and prescribed fewer pharmaceutical medications than physicians practicing conventional medicine.

Dr. A. Jain M.B.B.S., M.D.(O+G), M.F.Hom. compared cost of medication in 100 of his patients, treated homeopathically, versus cost of pharmaceuticals which would otherwise have been prescribed for these patients48. He saved £60-40p. per homeopathically-treated patient and 92 of the patients improved according to the Glasgow Homoepathic Hospital Outcome Measure, without any demonstrable side effects. This study is a concise statement by a doctor that, in his hands, homeopathy is effective, safe and cost-effective.

Many patients still try pharmaceutical treatment before resorting to homeopathy. A 1998 study on the use of homeopathy in Norway showed that almost half the patients had used pharmaceuticals prescribed by their medical doctor in the previous month for the same complaint 53. If doctors are trained in the use of homeopathy, they can decide when it is appropriate to use which modality of treatment, offering great potential for cost-savings.

Savings demonstrated by U.K. homeopathic hospitals:
An outcomes-based study on asthma at the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital showed that around two thirds of the patients reduced their need for inhalers and 60% of the parents of the children reported a decrease in the need to consult their GP for urgent asthma treatments 25.
A 1997 study on 100 sequential in-patients at the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital (GHH) demonstrated a significant impact on conventional care and costs27: 72% of patients reported fewer admissions to other hospitals; 51% fewer attendances as out-patients for conventional treatment; there were 40% fewer visits to patients’ GP’s and 46% of patients decreased their use of conventional medicines.
Further research at the GHH has shown that 37% of out-patients had decreased their use of pharmaceuticals one year after their last out-patient visit.
An analysis of 500 out-patients at the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital showed that 52% were on pharmaceuticals before starting homeopathy and that, after starting homeopathy, 29% stopped pharmaceuticals and 33% decreased use of pharmaceuticals 33.

50% savings on outlays for doctors practicing homeopathy compared to other G.P.’s, in France:
Chaufferin, of Boiron Laboratories, appraised homeopathy’s impact on expenditures covered by health insurance in France 54. He found that the public price of homeopathic products was ¼ of the average for reimbursable medicines in France and that total reimbursement for a pharmaceutical script was 3 times more than a script for homeopathic medicines. He also documented that outlays for doctors practicing homeopathy were half that of conventional general practitioners.

Children with diarrhoea get better faster, at less cost to the health system, when treated with homeopathy
Dr. Jennifer Jacobs’ landmark study on children with acute diarrhoea in Nicaragua showed that children treated with homeopathy recovered faster, at less cost to the health system 11.

South African perspective
Reports such as the Nicaraguan study on diarrhoea are particularly important in S.A., with our prevalence of childhood diarrhoea and the positive impact that homeopathy may have for the overwhelming demands placed on our scarce resources.

Expenditure on pharmaceuticals in the private health insurance market in South Africa has grown from around 27% in 1988, to over 33% in 2002, of the overall ‘spend’ on non-administrative health-utilisable items. Contrast this to a decrease in expenditure on general practitioners services from around 21% in 1988 to 8% in 2002.

A South African reality is that many peripheral clinics, particularly in rural areas, have no pharmaceuticals, for many reasons. This provides a fine opportunity for homeopathy to fill the gap, particularly as the expiry date of homeopathic medicines is much longer than that of pharmaceuticals, when suitably stored.

Conclusion
Bills for pharmaceuticals and procedures fall after introduction of homoeopathy. The major cost is the consultation, but the number of overall consultations over time decreases, as shown by research at U.K. homeopathic hospitals.

References

11. Jacobs, J. et al. Treatment of acute childhood diarrhea with homeopathic medicine: a randomized clinical trial in Nicaragua. Pediatrics 1998 93(5):719-725.

25. Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital. Audit Report 1994/95. London: RLHH.

27. International Data Collection Centres for Integrative Medicine. A review of inpatient care integrating complementary and orthodox medicine at Glasgow Homoeopathic Hospital. Interim inpatient report, 1998

33. Sharples F, van Haselen R.. Patients' perspectives on using a complementary medicine approach to their health. A survey at the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital NHS Trust. London: 1998.

48. Jain A. Does homeopathy reduce the cost of conventional drug prescribing? A study of comparative prescribing costs in General Practice Homeopathy 2003 92:71-76

52. Jacobs J. et al Patient characteristics and practice patterns of physicians using homeopathy Arch Fam Med 1998 7(6):537-40

53. Steinsbekk A., Fonnebo V. Users of homeopaths in Norway in 1998, compared to previous users and GP patients Homeopathy 2003 92(1): 3-10

54. Chaufferin G. Improving the evaluation of homeopathy: economic considerations and impact on health Br Homeopath J 2000 89 Suppl 1: S27-30