MANAGED CARE PENETRATION IN OUTPATIENT SUBSTANCE-ABUSE TREATMENT UNITS

The authors present the first nationally representative data on manage d care penetration in the outpatient substance abuse treatment (OSAT) sector. Thirty-eight percent of all OSAT units were involved in some f orm of managed care in 1995, with 22 percent of their client base cove red by managed care. There is also variation in managed care penetrati on and activity across different types of treatment units. Private for -profit units are involved in managed care to a greater extent than ar e public and private, not-for-profit organizations. Units affiliated w ith a hospital have greater participation and penetration than other u nits. Smaller OSAT facilities have a disproportionately large percenta ge of their client base in managed care arrangements. Finally, private managed care arrangements are more prevalent, more evenly distributed across organizational types, and represented in larger numbers than a re public sources of managed care.