INTEGRATION OF HEALTH-CARE ECONOMICS FOR ADDICTION TREATMENT IN CLINIC CARE

Over die past decade, radical changes have occurred in the availabilit y and funding of treatment services for individuals with addictive dis orders. Traditional inpatient and residential treatments have been rep laced by outpatient settings. ''Standard'' addiction treatments, such as 28-day inpatient hospitalizations, are largely a thing of the past. The process of treatment planning has also changed. Treatment decisio ns now depend on third-party coverage rather than severity of illness. The procedures for determining eligibility and obtaining authorizatio n for treatment are often ponderous and impersonal and determined thro ugh administrative procedures that are external to the treatment facil ity. The criteria used to determine the type of treatment seem arbitra ry rather than clinically based.