Continuing Care and Long-Term Substance Use Outcomes in Managed Care: Early Evidence for a Primary Care-Based Model

• DOI: 10.1176/appi.ps.62.10.1194
• Publication Date: 2011-10-03T08:28:33Z
• Authors: Felicia W. Chi; Sujaya Parthasarathy; Jennifer R. Mertens; Constance M. Weisner
• Keywords: Specialty; Addiction medicine; Odds

Objectives: How best to provide ongoing services patients with substance use disorders sustain long-term recovery is a significant clinical and policy question that has not been adequately addressed. Analyzing nine years of prospective data for 991 adults who entered abuse treatment in private, nonprofit managed care health plan, this study aimed examine the components continuing model (primary care, specialty treatment, psychiatric services) their combined effect on outcomes over after entry. Methods: In longitudinal observational study, follow-up measures included self-reported alcohol drug use, Addiction Severity Index scores, service utilization extracted from plan databases. Remission, defined as abstinence or nonproblematic was outcome measure. Results: A mixed-effects logistic random intercept controlling time other covariates found yearly primary based need measured at prior point, were positively associated remission time. Persons receiving (defined having when needed) had twice odds achieving follow-ups (p<.001) those without. Conclusions: Continuing both management support monitoring, self-care, needed important disorders. (Psychiatric Services 62:1194–1200, 2011)