Service Profiles in Substance Use Disorder Treatment: Are Treatment Facilities Consistent In Service Mix and Service Offerings?

OBJECTIVE: Substance use disorder (SUD) treatment facilities are the specialty treatment settings for individuals with SUDs and offer a variety of services for their treatment and long-term management. Despite the recommendations from evidence-based practice guidelines, individual facilities differ in terms of the number and type of services offered, resulting in gaps in service availability. The purpose of this study was to examine whether systematic differences exist among SUD treatment facilities based on the facility's service mix. METHOD: Publicly available data on SUD treatment facilities within the United States were obtained from the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS) for 2015-2018. Latent class analysis was used to identify the presence of different service profiles (i.e., classes of facilities) based on service mix and bivariate analysis to determine organizational characteristics associated with each profile. RESULTS: SUD treatment facilities systematically differ in service mix, and we identified three distinct service profiles--broad, high-prevalence; narrow, nonmedical; and broad, intermediate-prevalence. The distribution of facilities across the three profiles varied considerably, with a majority (90%) of facilities belonging to the broad, high-prevalence service profile, whereas 9.5% belonged to the narrow, nonmedical profile and the remainder (<1% of all facilities) to the broad, intermediate-prevalence service profile. CONCLUSIONS: The three service profiles and the distribution of facilities within each profile identified in this study highlight challenges and opportunities for practitioners and policymakers. The findings also suggest several avenues for future research in the area of policy, organizational strategy, and service delivery within SUD treatment.

Estimating the differences in Caesarean section (C-section) rates between public and privately insured mothers in Florida: A decomposition approach.

BACKGROUND: Caesarean section (C-sections) is a medically critical and often life-saving procedure for prevention of childbirth complications. However, there are reports of its overuse, especially in women covered by private insurance as compared to public insurance. This study evaluates the difference in C-Section rates among nulliparous women in Florida hospitals across insurance groups and quantifies the contribution of maternal and hospital factors in explaining the difference in rates. METHODS: We used Florida's inpatient data provided by the Florida Agency for HealthCare Administration (FLAHCA) and focused on low-risk births that occurred between January 1, 2010, and September 30, 2015. A Fairlie decomposition method was performed on cross-sectional data to decompose the difference in C-Section rates between insurance groups into the proportion explained versus unexplained by the differences in observable maternal and hospital factors. RESULTS: Of the 386,612 NTSV low-risk births, 72,984 were delivered via C-Section (18.87%). Higher prevalence of C-section at maternal level was associated with diabetes, hypertension, and the expectant mother being over 35 years old. Higher prevalence of C-section at the hospital level was associated with lower occupancy rate, presence of neonatal ICU (NICU) unit and higher obstetrics care level in the hospital. Private insurance coverage in expectant mothers is associated with C-section rates that were 4.4 percentage points higher as compared to that of public insurance. Just over 33.7% of the 4.4 percentage point difference in C-section rates between the two insurance groups can be accounted for by maternal and hospital factors. CONCLUSIONS: The study identifies that the prevalence of C-sections in expectant mothers covered by private insurance is higher compared to mothers covered by public insurance. Although, majority of the difference in C-Section rates across insurance groups remains unexplained (around 66.3%), the main contributor that explains the other 33.7% is advancing maternal age and socioeconomic status of the expectant mother. Further investigation to explore additional factors that explain the difference needs to be done if United States wants to target specific policies to lower overall C-Section rate.

Perspectives on life following a traumatic spinal cord injury.

BACKGROUND: Persons living with traumatic Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) face challenges when returning to their communities. The Spain Rehabilitation Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is developing a continuum of care for SCI patients. The perspectives of individuals with SCI are critical to designing a person-centered approach to the continuum. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to explore the lived experiences of individuals with SCI after their injury, as well as obtain the perspectives of therapists working with SCI patients. METHODS: Ten persons ranging in age from 23 to 65 years old and living with SCI were recruited to participate in in-depth interviews. We utilized a grounded theory approach to develop descriptive codes and themes. RESULTS: Our analysis highlighted domains that are critical to the lives of individuals with SCI including: planning for life after SCI, intrinsic motivation, environmental barriers, financial barriers, role of family, friends, and social networks, and relationships with medical providers. A key theme was the need for more information about how to manage their health condition, including the development of plans that are tailored to their specific needs. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with an SCI need access to a continuum of care that addresses both medical and social needs.