How States Are Tackling the Opioid Crisis.

Objectives: We used data from the 2015 National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors Web-based questionnaire and other sources to demonstrate the range and scope of state initiatives being used to deal with the opioid crisis in the United States.

Methods: State alcohol and drug agency directors and designated senior agency managers responded to the questionnaire, which asked respondents about recent opioid-related state-level public health initiatives at their agencies.

Results: State alcohol and drug agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia responded, all of which reported that prescription drug misuse was a high priority or the highest priority area for their agencies.

Type of health insurance and the substance abuse treatment gap.

Objective: Most individuals reporting symptoms consistent with substance use disorders do not receive care. This study examines the correlation between type of insurance coverage and receipt of substance abuse treatment, controlling for other observable factors that may influence treatment receipt.

Method: Descriptive and multivariate analyses are conducted using pooled observations from the 2002-2007 editions of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in the U.S., 2006.

Background: Excessive alcohol consumption causes premature death (average of 79,000 deaths annually); increased disease and injury; property damage from fire and motor vehicle crashes; alcohol-related crime; and lost productivity. However, its economic cost has not been assessed for the U.S.

Advancing performance measures for use of medications in substance abuse treatment.

Performance measures have the potential to drive high-quality health care. However, technical and policy challenges exist in developing and implementing measures to assess substance use disorder (SUD) pharmacotherapy. Of critical importance in advancing performance measures for use of SUD pharmacotherapy is the recognition that different measurement approaches may be needed in the public and private sectors and will be determined by the availability of different data collection and monitoring systems.

Economic implications of reduced binge drinking among the military health system's TRICARE Prime plan beneficiaries.

This study examines the economic burden of alcohol misuse to the Department of Defense (DoD) and the benefits of reduced binge drinking among beneficiaries in the DoD's TRICARE Prime plan. Data analyzed include administrative records for approximately 3 million beneficiaries age 18 to 64, DoD's Survey of Health Related Behaviors Among Military Personnel, and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Alcohol misuse among Prime beneficiaries cost the DoD an estimated $1.

Mental health and substance abuse spending by age, 2003.

This article presents national estimates of mental health and substance abuse (MHSA) spending in 2003 by age groups. Overall, $121 billion was spent on MHSA treatment across all age groups in 2003. Of the total $100 billion spent on MH treatment, about 17% was spent on children and adolescents, 68% on young and mid-age adults, and 15% on older adults.

Economic benefits of substance abuse treatment: findings from Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

We estimated long-term economic benefits and treatment costs for a sample of substance abuse clients who received treatment in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, using health, criminal activity, and earnings data from the Persistent Effects of Treatment Studies. Clients were interviewed at baseline and 6, 12, 24, and 30 months following baseline. We find positive benefits from substance abuse treatment, almost of all of which were derived from reduced criminal activity and increased real earnings, with overall benefit-to-cost ratios ranging from 2.

Practice variation and length of stay in alcohol and drug detoxification centers.

Admissions to 20 publicly funded alcohol and drug detoxification centers in Massachusetts were examined to identify program and patient variables that influenced length of stay. The last admission during fiscal year 1996 was abstracted for patients 18 years of age and older seeking alcohol, cocaine, or heroin detoxification (n=21,311; 29% women). A hierarchical generalized linear model examined the effects of patient and program characteristics on variation in length of stay and tested case-mix adjustments.

The need for substance abuse training among mental health professionals.

This study examines substance abuse as encountered by practitioners in six major mental health professions, from private practice to organizational settings. Respective national professional associations surveyed representative samples of their members, including psychiatrists, psychologists, professional counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and substance abuse counselors. About one in five clients seen in private practice of mental health professionals had substance abuse disorders, with somewhat higher rates in organized mental health treatment settings.

National spending on mental health and substance abuse treatment by age of clients, 1997.

This article examines 1997 national expenditures on mental health and substance abuse (MH/SA) treatment by 3 major age groups: 0-17, 18-64, and 65 and older. Of the total $82.4 billion in MH/SA expenditures, 13% went to children, 72% to adults, and 15% to older adults.

The Nebraska Medicaid managed behavioral health care initiative: impacts on utilization, expenditures, and quality of care for mental health.

This study evaluates the impact of Nebraska's Medicaid managed care program for behavioral health services on mental health service utilization, expenditures, and quality of care. Implementation of the program is correlated with progressive reductions in both total (about 13% over 3 years) and per eligible per month (20%) expenditures and a rapid, extensive decline in inpatient utilization and admissions. The percentage of enrollees receiving any type of treatment for a mental disorder actually increased modestly.