Comparative outcomes and costs of inpatient care and supportive housing for substance-dependent veterans.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the differential effectiveness and costs of three weeks of treatment for patients with moderately severe substance dependence assigned to inpatient treatment or to a supportive housing setting. Supportive housing is temporary housing that allows a patient to participate in an intensive hospital-based treatment program. Type and intensity of treatment were generally equivalent for the two groups.


METHODS
Patients were consecutive voluntary admissions to the substance abuse treatment program of a large metropolitan Veterans Affairs medical center. Patients with serious medical conditions or highly unstable psychiatric disorders were excluded. Patients in supportive housing attended the inpatient program on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. They were assessed at baseline and at two-month follow-up.


RESULTS
Baseline analyses of clinical, personality, and demographic characteristics revealed no substantive differences between the 62 patients assigned to inpatient treatment and the 36 assigned to supportive housing. The degree of treatment involvement and dropout rates did not differ between groups. Of the 55 inpatients completing treatment, 29 were known to be abstinent at follow-up, and of the 35 supportive housing patients completing treatment, 22 were abstinent. The proportion was similar for both groups, about 70 percent. The cost of a successful treatment for the inpatient group was $9,524. For the supportive housing group, it was $4,291.


CONCLUSIONS
Given the absence of differential treatment effects between inpatient and supportive housing settings, the use of supportive housing alternatives appears to provide an opportunity for substantial cost savings for VA patients with substance dependence disorders.
Schinka
J A
JA
James A. Haley Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Tampa, FL, USA. schinka@forum.va.gov
Francis
E
E
Hughes
P
P
LaLone
L
L
Flynn
C
C
D000328:Adult; D001509:Bed Occupancy; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016352:Group Homes / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D006743:Hospital Bed Capacity, under 100; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012008:Recurrence; D012114:Residential Treatment / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States