Private and public ownership in outpatient substance abuse treatment: do we have a two-tiered system?
As investor-owned organizations increase their presence in the mental health care sector, questions emerge regarding the effects of ownership type on service delivery. One important question is whether ownership is related to patient access to care for persons requiring treatment for substance abuse problems. Using data from a 1995 national survey of outpatient substance abuse treatment units, the authors investigate whether there are differences in measures of patient access to care among investor-owned, not-for-profit, and public provider organizations. Results indicate investor-owned units cater to and serve a clientele that differs from that of not-for-profit and public units, suggesting the presence of a two-tiered system of substance abuse treatment.
Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor 48109-2029, USA. jackwhee@umich.edu
J R
JR
Wheeler
T A
TA
Nahra
D000553:Ambulatory Care; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D016304:Hospitals, Private; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014481:United States