State policies matter: The case of outpatient drug treatment program practices
Received 30 May 2007; received in revised form 2 July 2007; accepted 8 August 2007. published online 16 October 2007.
Abstract
This study examined relationships between state policy requirements governing outpatient substance abuse treatment services and reported outpatient treatment program practices. State policies effective as of February 1, 2003, and February 1, 2004, were collected and analyzed via primary legal research; data were validated by state officials (88% response rate; > 90% validation rate). Treatment practice data were obtained from the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services for the years 2003 and 2004. Multivariate analyses clustered by state were conducted, controlling for state, program, and state-aggregated client admission characteristics. Results indicated that treatment programs located in states with requirements for comprehensive substance abuse assessment, family counseling, substance abuse and infectious disease/sexually transmitted disease testing services, HIV/AIDS education, and aftercare services had significantly higher odds of offering such services (p values ranging from < .05 to < .001). This study presents new information regarding the potential role that state policy context may play in understanding treatment program practices.
aInstitute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60608, USA
bCenter for Health Policy and Legislative Analysis, The MayaTech Corporation, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
cInstitute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA
dInstitute for the Prevention of Addictions, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI 49104, USA
Corresponding author. University of Illinois at Chicago, M/C 275, Room 558, Chicago, IL 60608, USA. Tel.: +1 312 996 6410; fax: +1 312 355 2801.
The views expressed in this article are solely attributable to the authors and do not reflect the views of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation or its trustees, the University of Illinois at Chicago, or the authors' employers.
ABSTRACT