Chapter 2 presents data on the reason for discharge and median length of stay (LOS) in treatment for the 688,703 discharges aged 12 and older from outpatient treatment in 2008. All of the 47 reporting States and jurisdictions had discharges from this type of service [Table 2.1]. Outpatient treatment in this chapter excludes intensive outpatient treatment (Chapter 3), outpatient detoxification (Chapter 7), and outpatient medication-assisted opioid therapy (Chapter 8).

Reason for Discharge

Table 2.1 and Figure 2.1. Of the 688,703 discharges aged 12 and older from outpatient treatment in 2008:¹

• 42 percent (n = 290,522) completed treatment
• 12 percent (n = 79,676) were transferred to further treatment
• 30 percent (n = 205,345) dropped out of treatment
• 7 percent (n = 46,687) had treatment terminated by the facility
• 10 percent (n = 66,473) failed to complete treatment for other reasons

¹ Percentages do not sum to 100 percent because of rounding.

Median Length of Stay (LOS)

Table 1.4 and Figure 2.2. The median LOS in 2008 for outpatient treatment discharges aged 12 and older was 92 days. By reason for discharge, the median LOS for outpatient treatment discharges aged 12 and older was:

• 124 days among those who completed treatment
• 62 days among those who transferred to further treatment
• 64 days among those who dropped out of treatment
• 72 days among those whose treatment was terminated by the facility
• 76 days among those who failed to complete treatment for other reasons

Characteristics at Admission

Table 1.6. Outpatient treatment discharges aged 12 and older displayed some major differences from all discharges aged 12 and older combined. Of outpatient treatment discharges aged 12 and older:

• 25 percent reported marijuana as the primary substance of abuse compared to 17 percent of all discharges; 8 percent reported opiates compared to 19 percent of all discharges
• 44 percent reported no use of the primary substance in the month before treatment entry compared to 29 percent of all discharges; 16 percent reported daily use compared to 38 percent of all discharges
• 51 percent had no prior treatment episodes compared to 43 percent of all discharges
• 56 percent were referred to treatment through the criminal justice system compared to 38 percent of all discharges; 19 percent were individual referrals compared to 33 percent of all discharges
• 61 percent were unemployed or not in the labor force compared to 73 percent of all discharges

Treatment Completion

Tables 2.2 and 2.3. Table 2.2 enumerates the characteristics at admission of discharges aged 12 and older from outpatient treatment by reason for discharge. Table 2.3 is based on Table 2.2. It presents two related proportions: a) the percent distribution of characteristics at admission among discharges completing treatment or transferring to further treatment compared to those who did not complete treatment, and b) the combined rate of completion or transfer to further treatment by characteristic at admission. Table 2.3 also provides the median LOS among outpatient treatment discharges aged 12 and over that completed treatment.

Completion/Transfer Rates and Characteristics at Admission

The overall combined treatment completion/transfer rate among outpatient treatment discharges aged 12 and over was 54 percent.

• Among variables whose categories represented a continuum—age, frequency of use, number of prior treatment episodes, and level of education—higher completion/transfer rates among outpatient treatment discharges were associated with:
  • Less frequent use—the completion/transfer rate fell from 58 percent among discharges who reported no substance use in the month before treatment entry to 44 percent among those who reported daily substance use
  • No prior treatment episodes—the completion/transfer rate was 57 percent among discharges with no prior treatment episodes compared to 50 percent among those with one or more prior treatment episodes
  • Higher educational level—58 percent of discharges with more than 12 years of education completed treatment or transferred to further treatment; the rate fell to 49 percent among discharges with fewer than 12 years of education
• Among other characteristics (race/ethnicity, primary substance, treatment referral source, employment status), the completion/transfer rate among outpatient treatment discharges aged 12 and over ranged from:
  • 46 percent among non-Hispanic Black discharges to 57 percent among non-Hispanic White discharges
  • 42 percent among discharges who reported opiates as the primary substance to 60 percent among those who reported alcohol as the primary substance
  • 44 percent of discharges who were individually referred to treatment to 60 percent of discharges who were referred to treatment through the criminal justice system
  • 49 percent among discharges who were unemployed or not in the labor force to 61 percent among discharges who were employed

Median LOS among Discharges Completing Treatment

The overall median LOS in 2008 among discharges aged 12 and older completing outpatient treatment was 124 days.

• The median LOS was longest among discharges who reported stimulants as the primary substance (168 days) and among discharges of Hispanic origin (151 days)
• The median LOS was shortest among discharges with other/unknown as primary substance of abuse (105 days), then among those who were aged 12 to 20 (111 days) and among those who were self-referred to treatment or referred by other individuals (115 days)

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