title: Utilization of services by persons discharged from involuntary chemical dependency treatment.
abstract: This report compares services utilization pre-admission and post-discharge in 735 consecutive persons involuntarily committed to a chemical dependency treatment program in Washington State. Patients entering treatment were in their late 30s, had multiple health problems, previous arrests for misdemeanors or felonies, and minimal structured daily activities. Post discharge, there were decreases in the use of costly acute care services including detox, psychiatric hospitalization, and mental health crisis services. Patients who completed the program were less likely to use acute care services and were more likely to participate in outpatient treatment after discharge. The overall death rate of 29.4 per 1000 persons per year was 4 times greater than the age adjusted death rate for the US adult population. Further studies of other involuntary chemical dependency treatment programs are needed to evaluate the results of this report.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Department of Veterans Affairs, Seattle, USA. cmaynard@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maynard
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krupski
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stark
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000359:Aftercare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000401:mortality / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000401:mortality / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D015996:Survival Rate; D014600:Utilization Review; D014861:Washington