NCJ Number
222750
Journal
Residential Treatment for Children & Youth Volume: 23 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 2005 Pages: 121-132
Date Published
2005
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This paper explores historical and recent trends in the delivery of residential adolescent substance abuse treatment, specifically the impact of managed care on the service delivery system.
Abstract
Appropriate treatments for many disorders, including adolescent substance abuse, have evolved over time. These changes may be driven by medical need or a breakthrough in technology, but are more often related to changes in the manner in which services are delivered. Residential substance abuse treatment for adolescents has experienced significant changes in recent years. Many of these changes have been driven by the advent of managed care. Three historical eras are conceptualized: (1) an era before the advent of managed care in which health insurance companies paid for longer stays on a fee for service basis, (2) an era in which services were funded through managed care organizations and lengths of stay were significantly reduced, and (3) the current era in which residential services are primarily offered either through self-pay or other service systems. Practitioners who provide services to adolescents must be aware of these changes and must respond with appropriate recommendations to their clients as well as advocacy on their behalf. References