May 10, 2007 |
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In 2004, there were almost 400,000 discharges7 from outpatient treatment for whom both admission and discharge information were known (excluding any outpatient treatment episodes where methadone use was planned).8 These outpatient discharges accounted for 42 percent of all the discharges in the 2004 TEDS that could be matched to an admission record and for which the reason for discharge was known.
In 2004, length of stay among outpatient treatment completers varied by primary substance of abuse.9 Outpatient treatment completers who reported stimulants as their primary substance of abuse had the longest median length of stay (137 days) among treatment completers reporting one of the five major substances (alcohol, opiates, cocaine, marijuana, and stimulants) as their primary substance of abuse (Figure 1). Outpatient treatment completers who reported alcohol as their primary substance of abuse had the shortest median length of stay (98 days).
Substance | Length of Stay (Days) |
---|---|
Alcohol | 98 |
Cocaine | 107 |
Marijuana | 99 |
Opiates | 104 |
Stimulants | 137 |
Source: 2004 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). |
Overall, females and males who completed outpatient substance abuse treatment in 2004 had similar median lengths of stay (105 and 103 days, respectively). However, there were some differences in the median length of stay by the primary substance of abuse reported. For example, female outpatient treatment completers had a shorter median length of stay than their male counterparts among discharges from treatment for primary abuse of cocaine (105 vs. 110 days) and stimulants (133 vs. 139 days) (Figure 2).
Substance | Males | Females |
---|---|---|
Alcohol | 98 days | 99 days |
Cocaine | 110 days | 105 days |
Marijuana | 99 days | 101 days |
Opiates | 102 days | 106 days |
Stimulants | 139 days | 133 days |
Other | 94 days | 89 days |
Source: 2004 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). |
There was no consistent pattern in the variation of median length of stay by age among outpatient treatment completers in 2004. Outpatient treatment completers aged 35 to 44 had the longest median length of stay (110 days). Outpatient treatment completers aged 25 to 34 and those aged 45 or older spent similar amounts of time in treatment, with median lengths of stay of 106 days and 104 days, respectively. The shortest median length of stay was among outpatient treatment completers who were younger than 25 (98 days).
Discharges from outpatient treatment showed distinct differences in median length of stay by race/ethnicity. The median length of stay among outpatient treatment completers in 2004 was longest among Hispanic discharges (126 days) and shortest among American Indian/Alaska Native discharges (84 days) (Table 1). However, there were different patterns in the median length of stay by primary substance of abuse. While Hispanics had the longest median length of stay among those who completed outpatient treatment for abuse of alcohol (122 days) and stimulants (167 days), Asians/Pacific Islanders had the longest median length of stay among those admitted for marijuana (119 days) and cocaine (182 days).
Primary Substance of Abuse | Race/Ethnicity | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
White, non-Hispanic | Black, non-Hispanic | Hispanic | American Indian/Alaska Native | Asian/Pacific Islander | Other | |
All* | 98 | 102 | 126 | 84 | 120 | 124 |
Alcohol | 93 | 104 | 122 | 77 | 120 | 112 |
Cocaine | 103 | 104 | 130 | 87 | 182 | 167 |
Marijuana | 96 | 101 | 110 | 86 | 119 | 114 |
Opiates | 106 | 91 | 119 | 92 | 107 | 125 |
Stimulants | 132 | 128 | 167 | 118 | 109 | 141 |
Source: 2004 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). |
In 2004, an increase in the level of education was associated with a decrease in the median length of stay. The median length of stay was longest among those with fewer than 8 years of education (119 days). Outpatient treatment completers with 9 to 11 years of education and those with a high school education or GED had similar median lengths of stay (106 and 104 days, respectively). The median length of stay fell to 100 days among those with more than 12 years of education.
Differences in the median length of stay by employment among outpatient treatment completers were not large. The median length of stay was shortest among those not in the labor force10 (100 days) but longest among those who were unemployed (106 days). Outpatient treatment completers who were working full-time had a median length of stay of 105 days and those working part time had a median length of stay of 103 days.
The median length of stay among outpatient treatment completers was longest (107 days) for clients referred11 to treatment through the criminal justice system and shortest for clients referred by an employer program (84 days) (Figure 3). Outpatient treatment completers referred by other sources had median lengths of stay between 102 to 94 days.
Referral | Median Length of Stay (Days) |
---|---|
Self/Individual | 94 |
Alcohol/Drug Abuse Care Provider | 102 |
Other Health Provider | 97 |
School | 102 |
Employer/EAP | 84 |
Other Community | 99 |
Criminal Justice System | 107 |
Source: 2004 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). |
The Drug and Alcohol Services Information System (DASIS) is an integrated data system maintained by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). One component of DASIS is the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). TEDS is a compilation of data on the demographic characteristics and substance abuse problems of those admitted for substance abuse treatment. The information comes primarily from facilities that receive some public funding. Information on treatment admissions is routinely collected by State administrative systems and then submitted to SAMHSA in a standard format. TEDS records represent admissions rather than individuals, as a person may be admitted to treatment more than once. State admission data are reported to TEDS by the Single State Agencies (SSAs) for substance abuse treatment. There are significant differences among State data collection systems. Sources of State variation include completeness of reporting, facilities reporting TEDS data, clients included, and treatment resources available. See the annual TEDS reports for details. Approximately 1.9 million records are included in TEDS each year. The DASIS Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA; Synectics for Management Decisions, Inc., Arlington, Virginia; and by RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (RTI International is a trade name of Research Triangle Institute). Information and data for this issue are based on data reported to TEDS through February 1, 2006.
Access the latest TEDS reports at: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/dasis.htm |
The DASIS Report is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA. Additional copies of this report or other reports from the Office of Applied Studies are available on-line: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov. Citation of the source is appreciated. For questions about this report please e-mail: shortreports@samhsa.hhs.gov. |
This page was last updated on June 19, 2008. |
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