Calculation of the return on investment in the obesity treatment program

Abstract

Aim. calculate the potential return on investment of a treatment program for obese patients. Materials and methods. Calculations were used to determine the levels of clinical outcomes of implementing obesity treatment programs at which the return on investment would be positive. The calculation model was developed on the basis of population data obtained from opsources, results of clinical trials, and average cost indicators for the Russian Federation. Since the data on the long-term effectiveness of obesity treatment programs are limited, the developed model uses a number of assumptions to calculate scenario estimates of the economic feasibility of implementing this scheme in the practical healthcare of the country. Results. The calculations show that the average cost of an annual course of obesity treatment (76.4 thousand rubles) in 2022 is economically justified from the point of view of the possibility of achieving a positive return on investment (positive return on investment can be achieved by the 5th year of follow-up of patients after effective treatment). As the frequency of long-term persistent drug-free remissions increases, the «economically justified» cost of an annual course of treatment may increase. Conclusion. The economic analysis performed has shown the potential of implementing a standardized obesity treatment program in terms of cost-effectiveness, which allows us to conclude that perfecting of a standardized obesity treatment program can be a cost-effective way of treating obesity.