The value of vocational rehabilitation in substance user treatment: a cost-effectiveness framework.
Vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs within addiction treatment traditionally consider employment as the desired outcome. This singular focus ignores other benefits, such as.reduced substance use. A framework for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of VR within addiction treatment is presented and illustrated with data from the Alcohol and Drug Services Study (ADSS, 1996--1999). VR was associated with a 2.5% increase in probability of abstinence at an $883 increase in cost per admission. Thus, the estimated cost-effectiveness of VR in promoting abstinence is $35,000 per additional abstinent client ($883/0.025), indicating that VR is a cost-effective contributor to other goals of addiction treatment.
Shepard
Donald S
DS
Schneider Institute for Health Policy, Heller School, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454-9110, USA. Shepard@brandeis.edu
Reif
Sharon
S
D000328:Adult; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003625:Data Collection; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000191:economics* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014830:Vocational Guidance / Q000191:economics*