The impact of Kansas' managed care system on substance abuse treatment is examined. A literature review discusses the effects of managed care on substance abuse utilization, expenditure, and patient outcomes. Addiction Severity Index (ASI) data from 1994 to 1997, and additional patient information were collected. Client outcome variables are the seven ASI composite scales: medical status, employment and support status, alcohol and drug use, legal status, family and social relationships, and psychiatric status. Data analytic methods include t-tests, chi-square, and analysis of variance. Results suggest that, before implementation of managed care, risk on all domains was significantly reduced between admission and followup. After managed care, participants' medical status tended to remain unchanged between treatment admission and followup, and participants' risk on family/social relationships tended to increase. The latter may be due to lack of funds for family services under Kansas' managed care system.
Learning Objectives: The oral presentation or poster will enable participants to: 1. Understand method of comparing client outcomes before and after Kansas implemented a managed care system for state-funded substance abuse treatment. 2. Recognize that prior to implementation of the current managed care system, data indicated that clients experienced a reduction on all risk domains measured by the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) between treatment admission 6 to 8 months after admission. 3. Recognize that after the implementation of Kansas' managed care system, on average, clients experienced no change in risk on the medical domain, as measured by the ASI, and increased risk on the family/social functioning domain. 4. Learn possible explanations for the apparent decline in some client outcomes subsequent to the implementation of the managed care system
Keywords: Family Involvement,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
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.