Velez FF, Malone DC. (2021). Cost-effectiveness analysis of a prescription digital therapeutic for the treatment of opioid use disorder. Journal of Market Access & Health Policy, 9:1, 1966187, DOI: 10.1080/20016689.2021.1966187
Researchers analyzed the cost-effectiveness of reSET-O, the only FDA-approved prescription smartphone digital therapeutic for patients with opioid use disorder. The reSET-O app delivers treatment based on the community reinforcement approach, an intensive form of cognitive behavioral therapy. The study investigated the cost effectiveness of augmenting treatment as usual (TAU) with the reSET-O therapeutic compared with TAU alone. The study examined cost data from the third-party payer, the organization that pays or insures medical expenses on the individual’s behalf, for 12 weeks (the duration of one prescription of reSET-O). The researchers included economic inputs such as reSET-O prescription costs, administrative costs, facility and medical services utilization and buprenorphine costs. The study also assessed cost effectiveness by calculating the number of quality-adjusted life years. Over 12 weeks, the combination of reSET-O and TAU yielded an increase of 0.003 quality-adjusted life years and a cost decrease of $1,014. Results suggest that reSET-O as an adjunct to TAU is cost-effective relative to TAU alone.