EFFECTIVENESS AND COSTS OF INPATIENT VERSUS DAY HOSPITAL COCAINE REHABILITATION

We compared the effectiveness and costs of day hospital CDH) versus in patient (INP) rehabilitation for cocaine dependence. The research subj ects were 111 inner city, lower socioeconomic, primarily African-Ameri can male veterans who qualified for a diagnosis of cocaine dependence and presented no acute medical or psychiatric conditions requiring inp atient treatment. Fifty-six men were randomly assigned to 1 month of D H rehabilitation (27 hours of weekday treatment weekly), and 55 were a ssigned to 1-month INP rehabilitation (48 hours of scheduled treatment weekly). Treatment outcome was evaluated 7 months after admission int o treatment (92% of the subjects), and a cost analysis was performed. A significantly greater proportion of INP subjects (89.1%) completed t reatment than did DH subjects (53.6%). Significant improvements in sub stance use, psychosocial functioning, and health status were found 7 m onths postadmission for both groups, but there was little evidence of differential improvement between groups. Urine toxicology findings wer e consistent with the self-report data in showing improvement from bas eline, but no group differences in cocaine use. The groups did not dif fer significantly in postrehabilitation aftercare participation or in relapse to additional treatment. DH treatment costs were 40% to 60% of INP treatment costs, depending upon the measure used.