Economic evaluation of alcoholism treatment.

Rising health care costs in recent years have increased pressures on providers, insurers, and policymakers to monitor the costs, cost-effectiveness, and cost-benefit of all health care services, including alcohol-related services. Without solid information regarding the economic implications of alcohol-related services, health insurance companies, managed care organizations, and policymakers may be reluctant to fund these services. As reviewed in this article, economic analyses-such as cost, cost-effectiveness, and cost-benefit analyses, including cost-offset studies--have been applied to alcoholism treatment outcomes research to provide such information. Methodological issues discussed here that concern these approaches will shape the future direction of economic analyses in the alcohol field.