TY - JOUR
T1 - Cost analysis of training and employment services in methadone treatment
AU - French, Michael T.
AU - Bradley, Cathy J.
AU - Calingaert, Brian
AU - Dennis, Michael L.
AU - Karuntzos, Georgia T.
N1 - Funding Information:
A cost analysis of treatment services is one of the most important components of a treatment program evaluation. Researchers, policy makers, and practitioners have all stressed the need for more information on resource use, cost, and financing of drug abuse treatment (IOM, 1990; Wallack, Larson, & Tompkins, 1990). A recent review of cost and cost-effectiveness studies of substance abuse treatment programs (French, in press) found that many existing cost studies (e.g., Caliber & Associates, 1989; Harwood, Napolitano, Kristiansen, & Collins, Financial assistance for this study was provided by three grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (contract numbers 5 RI8 DA06383-02, 5 RI8 DA07262-02, and 1 P50 DA06990-01A1). The authors are entirely responsible for the research in this paper; it does not represent the position or opinions of NIDA or the Research Triangle Institute (RTI). We would like to acknowledge the numerous contributions of the former and current program directors at the four participating methadone clinics: Ken Bossert, Helen Greet, John Gyuett, Paul Ingram, Jim Nowak, Lou Mania, and Richard Weisen. Without their interest and support, this study would not have been possible. In addition, several colleagues at RTI contributed to the study, including Robert Hubbard, Valley Rachal, and Gary Zarkin.
PY - 1994
Y1 - 1994
N2 - Despite the popular belief that vocational training is an important component of methadone treatment, little information is available on the effectiveness and cost of various types of services. This paper presents a cost analysis of developing a training and employment program (TEP) at four methadone treatment programs in a quasi-experimental pilot study. We examine the cost of establishing and operating such programs as well as the marginal cost of a TEP component compared to standard treatment. For both standard and TEP-enhanced treatment, we also estimate the average, fixed, and variable costs of these services and compare differences across programs. Lastly, we examine the financing of standard methadone treatment to provide additional guidance to program directors and treatment administrators. Our main findings can be summarized as follows. The average annual cost of TEP services in the pilot study was between $1,648 and $2,215 per "serviced" TEP client. The average annual cost per client for standard methadone treatment was between $3,546 and $5,104. And the marginal cost of providing TEP services to approximately 36 clients per site in the pilot study was between 3.5% and 7.2% of the total annual cost of standard methadone treatment. The cost methodology presented in this paper can be used in other research projects and by treatment providers to generate consistent and comparable cost estimates of standard and enhanced substance abuse treatment programs.
AB - Despite the popular belief that vocational training is an important component of methadone treatment, little information is available on the effectiveness and cost of various types of services. This paper presents a cost analysis of developing a training and employment program (TEP) at four methadone treatment programs in a quasi-experimental pilot study. We examine the cost of establishing and operating such programs as well as the marginal cost of a TEP component compared to standard treatment. For both standard and TEP-enhanced treatment, we also estimate the average, fixed, and variable costs of these services and compare differences across programs. Lastly, we examine the financing of standard methadone treatment to provide additional guidance to program directors and treatment administrators. Our main findings can be summarized as follows. The average annual cost of TEP services in the pilot study was between $1,648 and $2,215 per "serviced" TEP client. The average annual cost per client for standard methadone treatment was between $3,546 and $5,104. And the marginal cost of providing TEP services to approximately 36 clients per site in the pilot study was between 3.5% and 7.2% of the total annual cost of standard methadone treatment. The cost methodology presented in this paper can be used in other research projects and by treatment providers to generate consistent and comparable cost estimates of standard and enhanced substance abuse treatment programs.
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U2 - 10.1016/0149-7189(94)90048-5
DO - 10.1016/0149-7189(94)90048-5
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0000217686
VL - 17
SP - 107
EP - 120
JO - Evaluation and Program Planning
JF - Evaluation and Program Planning
SN - 0149-7189
IS - 2
ER -