Evaluating Improvement Strategies in Addiction Treatment

NCT ID: NCT00934141

Last Updated: 2013-08-12

Study Results

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Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE3

Total Enrollment

201 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2006-10-31

Study Completion Date

2011-01-31

Brief Summary

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Addiction treatment is often characterized by long delays between first contact and treatment as well as high no-show and drop out rates leading to unused capacity in apparently full agencies. Patients do not get needed care and agency financial stability is threatened. The Network for Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) began as a high-intensity improvement collaborative of 39 addiction treatment agencies distributed across 25 states. NIATx substantially improved time to treatment and continuation in treatment by making improvements to organizational processes (such as first contact, intake and assessment, engagement, level of care transitions, paperwork, social support, outreach, and scheduling) in preliminary studies. While the results are very encouraging, they have, by intent, been obtained from a select group of agencies using a high-cost combination of services. A more practical diffusion model is needed to spread process improvements across the spectrum of treatment agencies. This study is a cluster-randomized trial to test the effectiveness and cost of less expensive combinations of the services that make up the NIATx collaborative (interest circles, coach calls, coach visits and learning sessions).

Detailed Description

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This cluster-RCT randomly assign 201 treatment agencies in 5 states to four experimental arms. The agencies were randomized to an intervention for 18 months with a 9 month sustainability period. The study aimed to: 1) Determine whether a state-based strategy can (with NIATx support) can lead mainstream treatment agencies to implement and sustain process changes that improve the study's primary outcomes: time to treatment, annual clinic admissions, and continuation in treatment; and 2) Evaluate the effectiveness and cost of the services making up NIATx. This study aims to create a practical model for improving efficiency and effectiveness of addiction treatment.

Conditions

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Addiction

Keywords

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Organizational change process improvement addiction treatment cost effectiveness study

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Interest Circle Call + Website

Interest Circles are monthly teleconferences where agency change leaders discuss change-related issues and progress. Circles address how to improve timeliness, continuation, admissions, dropouts and transitions. They also address specialty topics (e.g., programs for women, adolescents). Participants discuss successes, failures, and challenges, and get advice and assignments for their improvement plans. Meeting summaries appear on the Web site. Interest Circles are inexpensive, but are they are sufficient? Should Interest Circles prove effective, they would provide a low-cost, convenient diffusion approach.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Interest Circle Calls

Intervention Type OTHER

Interest Circles are monthly teleconferences where agency change leaders discuss change-related issues and progress. Circles address how to improve timeliness, continuation, admissions, dropouts and transitions. They also address specialty topics (e.g., programs for women, adolescents). Participants discuss successes, failures, and challenges, and get advice and assignments for their improvement plans. Meeting summaries appear on the Web site. Interest Circles are inexpensive, but are they are sufficient? Should Interest Circles prove effective, they would provide a low-cost, convenient diffusion approach

Website

Intervention Type OTHER

The NIATx Web site features resources central to improvement. The site includes: 1) a catalog of change ideas and case studies; 2) a toolbox providing just-in-time training on topics such as conducting a walk-through and key innovations; 3) on-line tools to assess organizational (or project) readiness for and ability to sustain change; 4) electronic communication services to ask questions of experts, and participate in peer discussion groups; 5) links to relevant process improvement Web sites; and 6) a secure portion for treatment agencies to report and track progress. Hence, our control group will have access to the entire website.

Coaching + Website

Coaching assigns an expert in process improvement to work with an agency to make, sustain, and spread process improvement efforts. Consultations focus on executive directors, change leaders and improvement teams. Coaches help agencies address key issues, but also broker relationships with other agencies, offer process improvement training, and promote the innovations to make and how to make them. Coaching takes place during site visits, monthly phone conferences, and via email.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Coaching

Intervention Type OTHER

Coaching assigns an expert in process improvement to work with an agency to make, sustain, and spread process improvement efforts. Consultations focus on executive directors, change leaders and improvement teams. Coaches help agencies address key issues, but also broker relationships with other agencies, offer process improvement training, and promote the innovations to make and how to make them. Coaching takes place during site visits, monthly phone conferences, and via email.

Website

Intervention Type OTHER

The NIATx Web site features resources central to improvement. The site includes: 1) a catalog of change ideas and case studies; 2) a toolbox providing just-in-time training on topics such as conducting a walk-through and key innovations; 3) on-line tools to assess organizational (or project) readiness for and ability to sustain change; 4) electronic communication services to ask questions of experts, and participate in peer discussion groups; 5) links to relevant process improvement Web sites; and 6) a secure portion for treatment agencies to report and track progress. Hence, our control group will have access to the entire website.

Full: LS, Coaching, ICC, Website

Learning Session, Coaching, Interest Circle Calls, Website, see descriptions above

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Learning Session

Intervention Type OTHER

Learning Sessions occur bi-annually as change teams convene to learn and gather support from each other and outside experts who offer advice on how best to adopt the innovations and learn about new directions for the collaborative (e.g., the need to create business cases for improvements). Learning Sessions and Interest Circles (see below) have similar objectives-to help agencies learn and gather support from each other and from outside experts.

Interest Circle Calls

Intervention Type OTHER

Interest Circles are monthly teleconferences where agency change leaders discuss change-related issues and progress. Circles address how to improve timeliness, continuation, admissions, dropouts and transitions. They also address specialty topics (e.g., programs for women, adolescents). Participants discuss successes, failures, and challenges, and get advice and assignments for their improvement plans. Meeting summaries appear on the Web site. Interest Circles are inexpensive, but are they are sufficient? Should Interest Circles prove effective, they would provide a low-cost, convenient diffusion approach

Coaching

Intervention Type OTHER

Coaching assigns an expert in process improvement to work with an agency to make, sustain, and spread process improvement efforts. Consultations focus on executive directors, change leaders and improvement teams. Coaches help agencies address key issues, but also broker relationships with other agencies, offer process improvement training, and promote the innovations to make and how to make them. Coaching takes place during site visits, monthly phone conferences, and via email.

Website

Intervention Type OTHER

The NIATx Web site features resources central to improvement. The site includes: 1) a catalog of change ideas and case studies; 2) a toolbox providing just-in-time training on topics such as conducting a walk-through and key innovations; 3) on-line tools to assess organizational (or project) readiness for and ability to sustain change; 4) electronic communication services to ask questions of experts, and participate in peer discussion groups; 5) links to relevant process improvement Web sites; and 6) a secure portion for treatment agencies to report and track progress. Hence, our control group will have access to the entire website.

Learning Session + Website

Learning Sessions occur bi-annually as change teams convene to learn and gather support from each other and outside experts who offer advice on how best to adopt the innovations and learn about new directions for the collaborative (e.g., the need to create business cases for improvements). Learning Sessions and Interest Circles (see below) have similar objectives-to help agencies learn and gather support from each other and from outside experts.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Learning Session

Intervention Type OTHER

Learning Sessions occur bi-annually as change teams convene to learn and gather support from each other and outside experts who offer advice on how best to adopt the innovations and learn about new directions for the collaborative (e.g., the need to create business cases for improvements). Learning Sessions and Interest Circles (see below) have similar objectives-to help agencies learn and gather support from each other and from outside experts.

Website

Intervention Type OTHER

The NIATx Web site features resources central to improvement. The site includes: 1) a catalog of change ideas and case studies; 2) a toolbox providing just-in-time training on topics such as conducting a walk-through and key innovations; 3) on-line tools to assess organizational (or project) readiness for and ability to sustain change; 4) electronic communication services to ask questions of experts, and participate in peer discussion groups; 5) links to relevant process improvement Web sites; and 6) a secure portion for treatment agencies to report and track progress. Hence, our control group will have access to the entire website.

Interventions

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Learning Session

Learning Sessions occur bi-annually as change teams convene to learn and gather support from each other and outside experts who offer advice on how best to adopt the innovations and learn about new directions for the collaborative (e.g., the need to create business cases for improvements). Learning Sessions and Interest Circles (see below) have similar objectives-to help agencies learn and gather support from each other and from outside experts.

Intervention Type OTHER

Interest Circle Calls

Interest Circles are monthly teleconferences where agency change leaders discuss change-related issues and progress. Circles address how to improve timeliness, continuation, admissions, dropouts and transitions. They also address specialty topics (e.g., programs for women, adolescents). Participants discuss successes, failures, and challenges, and get advice and assignments for their improvement plans. Meeting summaries appear on the Web site. Interest Circles are inexpensive, but are they are sufficient? Should Interest Circles prove effective, they would provide a low-cost, convenient diffusion approach

Intervention Type OTHER

Coaching

Coaching assigns an expert in process improvement to work with an agency to make, sustain, and spread process improvement efforts. Consultations focus on executive directors, change leaders and improvement teams. Coaches help agencies address key issues, but also broker relationships with other agencies, offer process improvement training, and promote the innovations to make and how to make them. Coaching takes place during site visits, monthly phone conferences, and via email.

Intervention Type OTHER

Website

The NIATx Web site features resources central to improvement. The site includes: 1) a catalog of change ideas and case studies; 2) a toolbox providing just-in-time training on topics such as conducting a walk-through and key innovations; 3) on-line tools to assess organizational (or project) readiness for and ability to sustain change; 4) electronic communication services to ask questions of experts, and participate in peer discussion groups; 5) links to relevant process improvement Web sites; and 6) a secure portion for treatment agencies to report and track progress. Hence, our control group will have access to the entire website.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* at least 60 admissions/year
* provide outpatient and intensive outpatient levels of care (as defined by ASAM)
* provide or use detox services provided by others
* have tax-exempt or government status or rely on public funding (e.g., block grants, Medicare, Medicaid, local government, private philanthropy) for at least 50% of their budget
* have adopted no more than two of the planned interventions

Exclusion Criteria

* are current NIATx members
Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Oregon Health and Science University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Wisconsin, Madison

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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David H Gustafson, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Locations

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University of Wisonsin-Madison

Madison, Wisconsin, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Gustafson DH, Quanbeck AR, Robinson JM, Ford JH 2nd, Pulvermacher A, French MT, McConnell KJ, Batalden PB, Hoffman KA, McCarty D. Which elements of improvement collaboratives are most effective? A cluster-randomized trial. Addiction. 2013 Jun;108(6):1145-57. doi: 10.1111/add.12117. Epub 2013 Mar 1.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 23316787 (View on PubMed)

Choi D, Hoffman KA, Kim MO, McCarty D. A high-resolution analysis of process improvement: use of quantile regression for wait time. Health Serv Res. 2013 Feb;48(1):333-47. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2012.01436.x. Epub 2012 Jun 20.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 22716460 (View on PubMed)

Quanbeck A, Wheelock A, Ford JH 2nd, Pulvermacher A, Capoccia V, Gustafson D. Examining access to addiction treatment: scheduling processes and barriers. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2013 Mar;44(3):343-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2012.08.017. Epub 2012 Sep 27.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 23021494 (View on PubMed)

Hoffman KA, Quanbeck A, Ford JH 2nd, Wrede F, Wright D, Lambert-Wacey D, Chvojka P, Hanchett A, McCarty D. Improving substance abuse data systems to measure 'waiting time to treatment': lessons learned from a quality improvement initiative. Health Informatics J. 2011 Dec;17(4):256-65. doi: 10.1177/1460458211420090.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 22193826 (View on PubMed)

Quanbeck AR, Gustafson DH, Ford JH 2nd, Pulvermacher A, French MT, McConnell KJ, McCarty D. Disseminating quality improvement: study protocol for a large cluster-randomized trial. Implement Sci. 2011 Apr 27;6:44. doi: 10.1186/1748-5908-6-44.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 21524303 (View on PubMed)

Quanbeck AR, Madden L, Edmundson E, Ford JH 2nd, McConnell KJ, McCarty D, Gustafson DH. A business case for quality improvement in addiction treatment: evidence from the NIATx collaborative. J Behav Health Serv Res. 2012 Jan;39(1):91-100. doi: 10.1007/s11414-011-9259-6.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 21918924 (View on PubMed)

Roosa M, Scripa JS, Zastowny TR, Ford JH 2nd. Using a NIATx based local learning collaborative for performance improvement. Eval Program Plann. 2011 Nov;34(4):390-8. doi: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2011.02.006. Epub 2011 Mar 2.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 21371751 (View on PubMed)

Quanbeck A, Lang K, Enami K, Brown RL. A cost-benefit analysis of Wisconsin's screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment program: adding the employer's perspective. WMJ. 2010 Feb;109(1):9-14.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 20942294 (View on PubMed)

McCarty D, Chandler RK. Understanding the importance of organizational and system variables on addiction treatment services within criminal justice settings. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2009 Aug 1;103 Suppl 1:S91-3. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2009.03.001. Epub 2009 Apr 8.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 19356862 (View on PubMed)

McCarty D, Gustafson D, Capoccia VA, Cotter F. Improving care for the treatment of alcohol and drug disorders. J Behav Health Serv Res. 2009 Jan;36(1):52-60. doi: 10.1007/s11414-008-9108-4. Epub 2008 Feb 8.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 18259871 (View on PubMed)

McCarty D, Roman PM, Sorensen J, Weisner C. Health Services Research for Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Prevention. J Drug Issues. 2009 Jan;39(1):197-208. doi: 10.1177/002204260903900115.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 23378669 (View on PubMed)

McConnell KJ, Hoffman KA, Quanbeck A, McCarty D. Management practices in substance abuse treatment programs. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2009 Jul;37(1):79-89. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2008.11.002. Epub 2009 Feb 4.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 19195813 (View on PubMed)

Gustafson DH. Essential Ingredients for Successful Redesign of Addiction Treatment. Bridge (Kans City). 2012;2(2):v2i2_article01.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 25243237 (View on PubMed)

Ford JH 2nd, Gilson A. Influence of participation in a quality improvement collaborative on staff perceptions of organizational sustainability. BMC Health Serv Res. 2021 Jan 7;21(1):34. doi: 10.1186/s12913-020-06026-3.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 33413357 (View on PubMed)

Ford JH 2nd, Stumbo SP, Robinson JM. Assessing long-term sustainment of clinic participation in NIATx200: Results and a new methodological approach. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2018 Sep;92:51-63. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2018.06.012. Epub 2018 Jun 27.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 30032945 (View on PubMed)

Ford JH 2nd, Robinson JM, Wise ME. Adaptation of the Grasha Riechman Student Learning Style Survey and Teaching Style Inventory to assess individual teaching and learning styles in a quality improvement collaborative. BMC Med Educ. 2016 Sep 29;16(1):252. doi: 10.1186/s12909-016-0772-4.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 27681711 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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5R01DA020832-05

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

DA020832

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id