This 1999 report provides a detailed description of the activities involved in the development of the Integrated Data Base (IDB), which integrates mental health services, drug and alcohol services, and Medicaid data for three states (Delaware, Oklahoma, and Washington).

Volume 1 describes the general concept of the data base and the detailed design including extensive file definitions and information, flow charts and crosswalks. Separate sections detail the State-specific preprocessing activities, and other aspects of the data base. These are intended to help the researcher understand the approach we took in processing data for each State and data source. Since source data received for this project varied in terms of layout and content, each was processed separately according to the contents of the file. This volume also contains appendixes with detailed information on the selection of the population and contents of the final files.

Volume 2 contains all source code used in processing the data, including programs used to load State data into SAS and routines for linking person-level data. These programs can be viewed in any text editor (such as Notepad, BBEdit, or Emacs). This code is primarily of interest to programmers and other parties interested in how files were processed and constructed. Also included in Volume 2 is the users guide, which provides users of the data base with detailed technical information regarding the structure and composition of the data base. Electronic versions of the data dictionary with State-specific documentation are also included as part of this volume. 

Download Volume 1 (PDF): IDB_Report_Volume_1.pdf (539.03 kb)

Download Volume 2 (PDF): IDB_Report_Volume_2.pdf (195.98 kb)

For this report, published in 2001, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) and the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) initiated an effort five years ago to integrate Medicaid, State mental health, and State substance abuse agency data. Now under confidentiality agreements with the States, data from this CSAT/CMHS Integrated Data Base (IDB) Project has been analyzed and is the subject of this first report.

The IDB, currently built for the year 1996, assembles information from three types of State organizations – State MH, State SA, and Medicaid agencies. The IDB contains data from these types of organizations on mental health and substance abuse clients, their use of services, and level of expenditures. The IDB is assembled separately for three participating States –Delaware, Oklahoma, and Washington – and links person-level and service-level information across the multiple organizations in each State into one uniform data base.

This report presents findings from analyses of a subset of IDB records - persons with a primary mental or substance abuse disorder who are under age 65. Information about three groups of clients is presented: clients with mental disorders only (MH-only clients), clients with substance abuse disorders only (SA-only clients), and clients with dual MH+SA disorders (MH+SA clients). The study answers questions about the treatment services received by these populations under three different State auspices - the State MH and/or SA agency, Medicaid, or multiple auspices. 

Download the full report (PDF): Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment Results from a Study Integrating Data from State Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Medicaid Agencies.pdf (381.78 kb)

This report is a compilation of papers presented at the State Health System Interoperability Meeting sponsored by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and SAMHSA and held January 24-25, 2007. 

Download the full report (PDF): Increasing Interoperability in Health Information Systems for Medicaid, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Treatment.pdf (351.56 kb)

This 2002 report examines the state of substance abuse detoxification and the number and characteristics of patients who go on to substance abuse treatment after detoxification.  To assist patients in moving from detoxification to treatment, the report concludes that more information is needed on the range of detoxification programs and on processes at individual programs and systems levels. 

Download the full report here: Substance Abuse Detoxification Improvements Needed in Linkage to Treatment.pdf (770.83 kb)

This report examines trends in employer-based insurance spending for mental health and substance abuse, examining the underlying factors influencing M/SU trends in private insurance by decomposing changes in private insurance between 1992 and 1999 into changes in the probability of use, intensity of use, and cost per service used. 

Download the full report here (PDF): What Drove Trends in Private Insurance Expenditures on Mental Health and Substance Abuse Care, 1992-1999.pdf (92.68 kb)

The goal of this study is to examine underlying trends in substance abuse services that are financed through private insurance. Although other studies have examined how aggregate private health insurance spending on substance abuse treatment has changed, this study looks at that trend in greater depth. It examines the percentage of the population receiving substance abuse services and particular types of services. It examines trends by inpatient, outpatient, and pharmaceutical services in access, intensity of services, and price per unit of service. Moreover, trends in cost sharing are revealed.

Download the full study here (PDF): Trends The Decline in Receipt of Substance Abuse Treatment by the Privately Insured, 1992-2001.pdf (67.06 kb)