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Access to and Engagement in Substance Use Disorder Treatment Over Time

Year: 2020
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated whether access to and engagement in substance use disorder treatment has improved from 2010 to 2016. METHODS: Data submitted by commercial and Medicaid health plans, representing over 163 million beneficiaries from 2010 to 2016, were analyzed. RESULTS: For commercial plans, identification increased (from 1.0% to 1.6%, p<0.001), the initiation rate declined (from 41.9% to 33.7%, p<0.001), and the engagement rate also declined (from 15.8% to 12.1%, p<0.001). The decline in the initiation and engagement rates could not be explained by the increasing identification rates. For Medicaid plans, the identification rate increased (from 3.3% to 6.7%, p<0.001), and the initiation and engagement rates were unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Although an increasing proportion of health plan members are being identified with substance use disorders, the majority of these individuals are not engaging in treatment.
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W3008685616
FWCI: 1.074
Cites: 9
Cited by: 16
Related to: 10