Improving the quality of addiction treatment through policy research on how models of chronic disease prevention relate to drug and alcohol treatment

The Foundation's Substance Abuse Policy Research Program was designed to provide support for investigators to conduct policy research on a variety of subjects directed at helping the country reduce the harm caused by substance abuse.Substance use (SU) is a chronic, relapsing condition requiring continuing care (CC) services typically delivered in more than one setting, with a high prevalence of medical and psychiatric problems related to relapse. Most definitions and practice of CC, however, have focused on "aftercare" within specialty Chemical Dependency (CD) programs only. This study uses an expanded definition of CC that includes Primary Care (PC) and Mental Health (MH) services, as well as a model of CC that is grounded in disease management interventions used for chronic conditions. The project seeks to develop and test a model of CC by examining PC, MH, and CD service patterns as they relate to outcomes and costs over nine years in a managed care setting, as well as conduct confirmatory analyses using comparable treatment datasets from different sectors and organizational types over seven years. Specifically, this study will examine the components of CC following CD treatment, using PC as an anchor, as well as how this differs by population characteristics (particularly co-occurring medical and psychiatric problems). It will also examine cost impacts (PC versus ER and inpatient costs), as well as whether this differs across different systems (integrated managed care, other private/carved-out care, and public programs).

Grant Details

Amount Awarded $98,908.00

Awarded on: 9/11/2008

Time frame: 11/1/2008 - 10/31/2009

Grant Number: 65112