 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
W. Craig Carter, PhD1, Shoou-Yih Daniel Lee, PhD2, Kathleen C. Thomas, MPH, PhD1, and Joseph P. Morrissey, PhD1. (1) Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 101 Conner Dr. Ste. 302, Willowcrest Bldg., CB #3386, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3386, (919)966-6156, craig_carter@unc.edu, (2) Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, 101 Conner Dr. Ste.302, Willowcrest Bldg., CB#3386, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Substance abuse treatment is most effective when co-occurring mental and physical disorders are treated. Given the small size of most outpatient substance abuse treatment units (OSATs) and their lack of expertise and resources to provide comprehensive services, linkages with mental health and primary care agencies represent a dominant strategy for OSATs to meet their clients’ multiple needs. Despite the importance of such linkages, we know very little about their quality and effectiveness. Furthermore, it is unclear how the increased presence of managed care affects these linkages. This study related managed care to OSATs’ linkages with mental health and primary care providers. Specifically, the research question was whether managed care mandates improved or worsened the quality and effectiveness of linkages between OSATs and mental health and primary care providers.
Our unit of analysis was the linkage between an OSAT and a mental health or primary care agency. There were 167 linkages in our sample, identified through interviews with 62 OSATs that were randomly selected from a nationally representative sample participating in the National Drug Abuse Treatment Services Study in 1999. The main independent variable was whether the linkage was mandated by managed care organizations. The dependent variables were frequency of communication, degree of coordination, and perceived effectiveness of the linkage.
Results indicated that managed care mandates were positively related to all three dependent variables, suggesting that managed care might improve the care quality and outcomes for substance abuse individuals through improved linkages between OSATs and mental health and primary care agencies.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Substance Abuse Treatment, Co-morbid
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.