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Abstract #157923

Laura J. Dunlap, PhD¹, Gary A. Zarkin, PhD², and Brendan Wedehase, BA¹. (1) Behavioral Health Economics, RTI International, 6110 Executive Blvd, Suite 902, Rockville, MD 20852, 301-816-4616, ljd@rti.org, (2) Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice Research Division, RTI International, PO Box 12194, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2194

Although staffing patterns in a treatment facility can have a large impact on treatment provision, costs, and the overall quality of care, relatively little is known about staffing within substance abuse treatment programs and whether staffing patterns differ by program characteristics. The objective of our study is to examine staffing patterns across selected treatment services and administrative activities for methadone treatment programs. We conduct descriptive analyses to estimate the average full-time equivalents (FTEs) by staff type (e.g., physician, counselor, RN) employed by methadone programs and to identify which staff types perform selected treatment services and activities. We examine whether any differences in staffing patterns exist among key program characteristics—ownership, clinic size, organizational structure, and urbanicity. We also examine the division of time spent between administrative duties versus direct care services by staff type across treatment programs. Finally, we examine whether changes in staffing patterns are observed in programs 6 months after the pursuit of accreditation. Our data are from a nationally-representative sample of 170 methadone treatment programs that participated in the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment's Evaluation of the Methadone/LAAM Treatment Program Accreditation Project. Data on staffing were collected using the Substance Abuse Services Cost Analysis Program (SASCAP), which collected detailed information on the allocation of staff hours across 8 primary methadone treatment services and 4 administrative activities. Supported by NIDA grant # R01 DA15655.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the types of staff employed by treatment programs and how their labor time is allocated across treatment services and program activities. Briefly discuss the impact of staffing patterns on treatment costs.
• Apply this knowledge in both real-world and research settings to better undestand treatment program inputs, how these inputs may affect service provision and costs, and variation in inputs across treatment programs.
• For providers, describe own program's staffing mix in relation to other programs to better understand internal organizational structure and costs. For researchers, recognize the complicated mix of labor inputs necessary for providing treatment and apply this knowledge to future studies of treatment organization, processes, and costs.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.