Establishing realistic cost bands for substance abuse prevention: How to meet Federal requirements with disparate data

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Beverlie D. Fallik, PhD, CSAP, SAMHSA, 1 Choke Cherry Road, Rockville, MD 20857, 240-276-2438, beverlie.fallik@samhsa.hhs.gov

A review of the literature on costs of prevention interventions yields little standardized knowledge on the costs, drivers, or moderators affecting these costs, and the ranges of cost associated with different categories of prevention practices, programs and strategies. Therefore, CSAP's Data Coordinating Center (DCC) used a developmental approach to identify cost bands for prevention.

Stage One resulted in preliminary cost bands based on a literature review. Because substance abuse prevention includes a broad range of approaches, we identified cost bands using the IOM prevention categories of Universal, Selected and Indicated. Universal was further subdivided into Universal/direct and Universal/indirect.

In Stage Two, the DCC reviewed costs reported by a convenience sample of current CSAP grantees. These findings were compared to the costs identified in the literature review and used to modify and improve the initial cost bands. This resulted in the identification of empirically and reality based bands within the 25-75th percentile for each program type.

In order to promote standard cost data definitions, the DCC designed a cost template, which it tested in Stage Three, using volunteer State Incentive grantees. Results of Stage Three were used to decide whether to use existing OMB budget forms or the template to collect the required cost data. Current OMB forms will be used for 2006 to calculate the percentage of services falling within each cost band. Results will be helpful to further refine the cost bands and to increase understanding of prevention costs to help providers use funds most efficiently.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify SAMHSA’s required performance measures
2. Describe how performance measures are used at National and State levels to inform program and policy directions.
3. Describe the factors that contribute to program costs and how substance abuse prevention cost bands can be used to meet efficiency requirements

Keywords: Cost Issues, Performance Measurement

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Making Performance, Evaluation and Cost Data Useful to Feds, States and the Field

The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA