Wednesday, February 18, 2004

Rewarding Results: Improving the Quality of Treatment for People With Alcohol and Drug Problems
A December 2002 report (in Adobe Acrobat format) now available at the Join Together web site - " In December 2002, Join Together convened a national, non-partisan panel of experts and asked them to develop specific recommendations to improve the treatment of substance use disorders. The panel's primary recommendation is that purchasers of treatment services should reward results -- an idea that is very consistent with other leading edge efforts to improve the quality of health care for other diseases. The report outlines the reasoning behind this recommendation and the changes in measurement and accountability that will need to be established to implement a results-based reimbursement system. The panel also makes specific recommendations to payers and providers about the steps they should take to shift to a system that recognizes and rewards the providers who consistently deliver better treatment outcomes."  
  

New Options for Dual Diagnosis Patients
NIAA press release at the About Mental Health web site - " Individuals who have co-existing alcohol-use and psychiatric disorders must overcome a number of significant hurdles on their way to recovery: multiple health and social problems, double the stigma, a poor response to traditional treatments, a lack of joint treatment options, and a chronic cycle of treatment entry and re-entry. Symposium proceedings published in the February 2004 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research examine treatment options for this group, with a focus on four major psychiatric disorders: social anxiety disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia."