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Does State Certification or Licensure Influence Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment Program Practices?

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Abstract

In the United States, state governments legally authorize outpatient substance abuse treatment programs. In some states, programs are certified or accredited (ideal standards). Other states license programs (minimal standards). Additionally, some states authorize programs through “deemed status”, which is afforded to programs attaining accreditation from a national accrediting body. Primary legal research and the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services’ (N-SSATS) data were used to examine the relationships between state authorization type (certification/accreditation vs licensure with and without deemed status) and outpatient treatment program practices. Programs in certification/accreditation (vs licensure) states had significantly higher odds of offering wrap-around and continuing care/after care services associated with better long-term treatment outcome. Programs in states that allowed for certification/accreditation with deemed status had significantly lower odds of infectious disease testing, but higher odds of providing group and family counseling. Results suggest that state authorization type may impact services offered by outpatient treatment programs.

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Acknowledgments

Work on this article was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-supported ImpacTeen project (Frank J. Chaloupka, University of Illinois at Chicago, Principal Investigator). The authors are indebted to Victor Capoccia, Ph.D., for posing the original question that led to the development and implementation of this study. His insights and guidance in this area have been truly invaluable. The authors would like to thank Douglas Ross and Jacque Giem for their research assistance. 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 those of the authors’ employers. We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for their very helpful comments on an earlier version of this manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jamie F. Chriqui MHS, PhD.

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This study was conducted at The MayaTech Corporation, 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 900, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA.

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Chriqui, J.F., Terry-McElrath, Y., McBride, D.C. et al. Does State Certification or Licensure Influence Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment Program Practices?. J Behav Health Serv Res 34, 309–328 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-007-9069-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-007-9069-z

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