title: Managed care and outpatient substance abuse treatment intensity.
abstract: This study examines the extent to which managed care behavioral controls are associated with treatment intensity in outpatient substance abuse treatment facilities. Data are from the 1995 National Drug Abuse Treatment System Survey, a nationally representative survey that includes over 600 provider organizations with a response rate of 86%. Treatment intensity is measured in three ways: (1) the number of months clients spend in outpatient drug treatment, (2) the number of individual treatment sessions clients receive over the course of treatment, and (3) the number of group treatment sessions clients receive over the course of treatment. After accounting for selection bias and controlling for market, organization, and client characteristics, there is no significant relationship between the scope of managed care oversight and treatment intensity. However, the stringency of managed care oversight activities is negatively associated with the number of individual and group treatment sessions received over the course of treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Services Administration, University of Florida, P.O. Box 100195, Gainesville, FL 32610-0195, USA. clemak@hp.ufl.edu
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lemak
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Alexander
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017050:Episode of Care; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000191:economics / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy*; D014481:United States