Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Apr;36(3):265-77.
doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2008.06.008. Epub 2008 Aug 21.

Adapting Washington Circle performance measures for public sector substance abuse treatment systems

Deborah W Garnick  1 , Margaret T Lee, Constance M Horgan, Andrea Acevedo; Washington Circle Public Sector Workgroup
Collaborators, Affiliations

Adapting Washington Circle performance measures for public sector substance abuse treatment systems

Deborah W Garnick et al. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2009 Apr.

Abstract

The Washington Circle, a group focused on developing and disseminating performance measures for substance abuse services, developed three such measures for private health plans. In this article, we explore whether these measures are appropriate for meeting measurement goals in the public sector and feasible to calculate in the public sector using data collected for administrative purposes by state and local substance abuse and/or mental health agencies. Working collaboratively, 12 states specified revised measures and 6 states pilot tested them. Two measures were retained from the original specifications: initiation of treatment and treatment engagement. Additional measures were focused on continuity of care after assessment, detoxification, residential or inpatient care. These data demonstrate that state agencies can calculate performance measures from routinely available information and that there is wide variability in these indicators. Ongoing research is needed to examine the reasons for these results, which might include lack of patient interest or commitment, need for quality improvement efforts, or financial issues.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sensitivity Analysis Using Outpatient Index Services
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network The Shift to Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care. 2008. [Accessed June 3, 2008]. from http://www.nattc.org/learn/topics/rosc/
    1. Alterman AI, Langenbucher J, Morrison RL. State-level treatment outcome studies using administrative databases. Eval Rev. 2001;25(2):162–183. - PubMed
    1. American Psychiatric Association Practice Guideline and Resources for Treatment of Patients With Substance Use Disorders. Second Edition. 2008. [Accessed June 3, 2008]. from http://www.psychiatryonline.com/pracGuide/pracGuideTopic_5.aspx.
    1. American Society of Addiction Medicine Practice Guidelines. 2008. [Accessed June 3, 2008]. from http://www.asam.org/PracticeGuidlines.html.
    1. Arria A, TOPPS-II Interstate Cooperative Study Group Drug treatment completion and post-discharge employment in the TOPPS-II Interstate Cooperative Study. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 2003;25(1):9–18. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms