TITLE

Retention in Publicly Funded Methadone Maintenance Treatment in Two Western States

AUTHOR(S)

Deck, Dennis; Carlson, Matthew J.

PUB. DATE

January 2005

SOURCE

Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research;Jan-Mar2005, Vol. 32 Issue 1, p43

SOURCE TYPE

Academic Journal

DOC. TYPE

Article

ABSTRACT

This study examined individual and system characteristics associated with retention in methadone maintenance treatment among Medicaid-eligible adults in treatment for opiate use in Oregon and Washington. Logistic regression was used to examine the contributions of predisposing, need, and enabling characteristics on 365 day retention in methadone maintenance treatment. Older patients, patients with a history of methadone maintenance treatment, and persons with stable Medicaid eligibility had higher rates of retention than did patients with disabilities, polysubstance users, and those with an arrest record. In Oregon, which delivers methadone maintenance treatment through managed care, retention rose sharply from 28% to 51% between 1994 and 1998 and then leveled off. During the same time period, retention in Washington State grew from 28% to 34%. The higher rates of retention in Oregon, in part, can be explained by differences in service delivery influenced by financing. Faced with long waiting lists, Washington providers were more than twice as likely to administratively discharge patients for rule violations as their Oregon counterparts. Given the importance of retention, policies and practices that influence retention should be carefully considered. Because Medicaid eligibility has a dramatic impact on retention, policies that help extend eligibility or stabilize eligibility among individuals actively engaged in treatment should be carefully considered.

ACCESSION #

15621301

Tags: METHADONE maintenance;  SUBSTANCE abuse -- Treatment;  MEDICAID;  HEALTH insurance -- United States;  MANAGED care plans (Medical care);  MEDICAL care -- United States

 

Related Articles

• Could managed care outlive the backlash of the past? Wechsler, Jill // Managed Healthcare Executive;Dec2011, Vol. 21 Issue 12, p19 

  The article focuses on the move of several states in the U.S. to adopt or expand their Medicaid managed care plans to promote quality measurement and performance improvement strategies. It notes that managed care plans help state officials to deal with the termination of the federal stimulus...

• The 2006 Rankings. Comarow, Avery // U.S. News & World Report;11/6/2006, Vol. 141 Issue 17, p80 

  The article presents the 2006 rankings of commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid health maintenance organizations and point-of-service plans. The article discusses how the rankings were determined. The rankings are presented in tables which give the company name, overall score, location, type of...

• Medicaid and Access to Health Care � A Proposal for Continued Inaction? Rosenbaum, Sara // New England Journal of Medicine;7/14/2011, Vol. 365 Issue 2, p102 

  The author comments on how Medicaid's coverage guarantee for poor Americans often fail to translate into access to care. She details the U.S. Supreme Court's plan to hear a case about the effects on access of California's payment reductions for health care providers who treat Medicaid patients....

• Medicaid growth adds more managed care membership. Edlin, Mari // Managed Healthcare Executive;Jun2011, Vol. 21 Issue 6, p8 

  The article reports on the growth of Medicaid managed care membership in the U.S. Data analyzed by Mark Farrah Associates has revealed that enrollment in Medicaid managed care has increased by 11% from June 2008 to June 2009 and by 5%, representing 35 million lives, in 2010 due to stagnating...

• OUTCOME ASSESSMENT OF THE MEDICAID MANAGED CARE PROGRAM IN HARRIS COUNTY (HOUSTON). Averill, Patricia M.; Ruiz, Pedro; Small, David R.; Guynn, Robert W.; Tcheremissine, Oleg // Psychiatric Quarterly;Jun2003, Vol. 74 Issue 2, p103 

  Nowadays, managed care has taken over the management of the Medicaid program in most states of the nation. The patients treated in the public sector managed care system are very vulnerable and at high risk. Thus, we decided to measure the impact of managed care in the public-sector population of...

• MANAGED CARE'S DUAL IMPACT ON OUTPATIENT SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT: METHADONE MAINTENANCE VS. DRUG FREE. Sindelar, Jody L.; Olmstead, Todd A. // Journal of Drug Issues;Summer2005, Vol. 35 Issue 3, p507 

  The number and type of services offered at substance abuse treatment (SAT) facilities are important aspects of the quality of care. Managed care (MC) is a growing presence in SAT and has been shown to affect the provision of treatment. We expand on earlier work and examine the impact of managed...

• Adapting benefit plans to fit new detox programs. Wojcik, Joanne // Business Insurance;07/31/2000, Vol. 34 Issue 31, p12 

  Cites changes in the benefit plans for detoxification programs in the United States. Source of the programs adopted by Blue Cross/Blue Shield which have become standard of treatment for years; Chemical dependency programs instituted by managed care companies focused on ongoing outpatient...

• Newly eligible will join health plan risk pools. Krizner, Ken // Managed Healthcare Executive;May2010, Vol. 20 Issue 5, p6 

  The article discusses the pool of potential enrollees in managed care organizations as a result of the healthcare reform in the U.S. The new law provides for an expansion of recipients and dependent children for Medicaid and expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). It...

• Medicaid depending on managed care. Wechsler, Jill // Managed Healthcare Executive;Jun2011, Vol. 21 Issue 6, p5 

  The article focuses on the shift of Medicaid system to managed care programs in various states in the U.S. It notes that the state governments were looking for private insurers and were shifting more Medicaid patients to manage care to save money and improve care with the tight budgets and...

Read the Article