225146 Improving substance abuse treatment through innovative data collection, reporting and analysis

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 : 8:48 AM - 9:06 AM

Sujatha Lakshmikanthan, BS, MCA (Computer Science) , Research Computing Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC
Deepa Avula , Csat, SAMHSA, Rockville, MD
Leena Dave, BS, MS , Research Computing Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, ND
Michael DeLatte, BS , Research Computing Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC
Gary Franceschini, BA, MS , Research Computing Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC
Bharathi Golla, MS , Research Computing Division, RTI International, Research Computing Division, NC
George Grubbs, BS, MA , Research Computing Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC
William Savage, BS, MS (Computer Science) , Research Computing Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Plark, NC
David Uglow , Research Triangle Institute International, Research Triangle Park, NC
Carol Council, MSPH (Public Health) , Saembh, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC
The U.S. government's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) funds grant programs through the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). These programs support SAMHSA's free treatment referral service to link individuals, including populations particularly vulnerable to substance abuse issues such as veterans and the homeless, with the community-based substance abuse services they need. CSAT engaged RTI International to operate and enhance a web-based system, SAIS (Service Accountability Improvement System), to collect, validate, store and analyze data submitted by grantees that provide services to individuals enrolled in grant programs. CSAT administrators and grantees rely heavily on this data as it forms the basis for analysis and evaluation of program effectiveness. This paper describes the data collection, computational, and reporting methods used to produce accurate and actionable information for CSAT administrators and grantees. Key data collection methods include website data entry and data upload using web services. Data analysis and reporting is derived from encounter-level data as well as aggregated data stored in a dimensionally modeled data warehouse. Use of business intelligence methods and tools yields high quality results for research and reporting activities. Collectively, these capabilities enable CSAT administrators and grantees to achieve program-specific performance targets. More broadly, these results inform CSAT administrators as they endeavor to improve services and service availability to all populations.

Learning Areas:
Communication and informatics
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
(1) Describe how innovative data collection, reporting, and analysis can improve the treatment quality and availability for individuals needing or receiving support from substance abuse treatment programs; (2) Describe solutions implemented by the SAIS team for two types of data input: web forms and web services; (3) Define the forms and format in which treatment program data can be most effectively presented to CSAT officials and grantees; (4) Apply the SAIS approach to data validation to general data validation problems; and (5) Apply the presented data warehouse and business intelligence analysis and reporting approach to similar reporting requirements.

Keywords: Substance Abuse Assessment, Substance Abuse Treatment

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a senior member of the Research Computing Division (RCD) team that developed the system being reporting on. I am Principal Enterprise Architect for RCD. I have taught regular credit course at the university level at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

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.