Home treatment models in treating severe chronic mental disorders including crisis intervention show more and more evidence to offer an excellent alternative to hospital treatment. In Germany, having higher hospitalization rates than almost any other country in Europe, it is even more necessary to evaluate such alternative option to hospital treatment.

After establishing a home treatment model based on Swedish, Finnish and Italian experiences in cooperation with a big German health insurance in Berlin, we present data evaluation after the first year of implementation.

150 Patients out of a model region in Berlin being included in the first year of the project are evaluated with respect to their socio-demographic data and diagnostic spectrum, psychopathology ratings and quality of life assessments, as well as to health economic dimensions (different financial positions of spending economic treatment resources). Using an advanced statistical method of predictive modeling, we can compare the actual hospitalization rates to the statistically predicted ones.

There are predominantly patients with psychosis (50%), depressive disorders (30%) and BPD (15%). Actual hospitalization rates are extremely low compared to the statistical prediction. Health economic balance is difficult, mainly due to high starting expenses of a treatment setting which had to be built completely new.

The model in the meantime is being applied to the entire city of Berlin as well as to 4 other German counties (Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen, Bayern, Niedersachsen), other regions will follow shortly.