Reason for Discharge

Median Length of Stay (LOS)

Characteristics at Admission

Treatment Completion

Chapter 6 presents data on the reason for discharge and median length of stay (LOS) in treatment for the 127,253 linked admission/discharge records of discharges from long-term residential treatment in 2006. Forty of the 42 reporting States had discharges from this type of service [Table 6.1].

Reason for Discharge

Table 6.1 and Figure 6.1. Of the 127,253 long-term residential treatment discharges in 2006:

• 44 percent (n = 55,909) completed treatment
• 13 percent (n = 17,089) were transferred to further treatment
• 29 percent (n = 36,361) dropped out of treatment
• 9 percent (n = 11,275) had treatment terminated by the facility
• 5 percent (n = 6,619) failed to complete treatment for other reasons
  
  

Median Length of Stay (LOS)

Table 2.4 and Figure 6.2. The median LOS for long-term residential treatment discharges was 58 days. By reason for discharge, the median LOS for long-term residential treatment discharges was:

• 90 days among those who completed treatment
• 37 days among those who transferred to further treatment
• 28 days among those who dropped out of treatment
• 48 days among those whose treatment was terminated by the facility
• 42 days among those who failed to complete treatment for other reasons

Characteristics at Admission

Table 2.6. Long-term residential discharges displayed some major differences from all discharges combined. Of long-term residential discharges:

• 23 percent reported cocaine as the primary substance of abuse compared to 14 percent of all discharges; 19 percent reported stimulants compared to 10 percent of all discharges; 26 percent reported alcohol compared to 39 percent of all discharges
• 91 percent were unemployed or not in the labor force compared to 74 percent of all discharges
  

Treatment Completion

Tables 6.2 and 6.3. Table 6.2 enumerates the characteristics at admission of discharges from long-term residential treatment by reason for discharge. Table 6.3 is based on Table 6.2. 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.

Completion/Transfer Rates and Characteristics at Admission

Tables 6.2 and 6.3. The overall combined treatment completion/transfer rate among long-term residential treatment discharges was 57 percent.

• The completion/transfer rates among long-term residential treatment discharges were related to age, frequency of use, prior treatment history, employment status, and level of education:
• 66 percent of discharges aged 50 and over completed treatment or transferred to further treatment; the rate fell to 55 to 56 percent among discharges in the age-groups age 40 and younger
• 61 percent of discharges who reported no substance use in the month before treatment entry completed treatment or transferred to further treatment; the rate fell to 53 percent among discharges who reported daily use
• 65 percent of discharges with no prior treatment episodes completed treatment or transferred to further treatment; the rate was 59 percent among discharges with one or more prior treatment episodes
• 67 percent of discharges who were employed completed treatment or transferred to further treatment; the rate was 56 percent among discharges who were unemployed or not in the labor force
• 62 percent of discharges with more than 12 years of education completed treatment or transferred to further treatment; the rate fell to 55 percent among discharges with fewer than 12 years of education
• The completion/transfer rate was highest, among other characteristics, for long-term residential treatment discharges reporting stimulants as the primary substance, at 65 percent.
• The completion/transfer rate was lowest, among other characteristics, for long-term residential treatment discharges who:
• reported opiates as the primary substance, at 49 percent
• were non-Hispanic Black, at 51 percent

Median LOS among Discharges Completing Treatment

The overall median LOS among discharges completing long-term residential treatment was 90 days. For most characteristics at admission, the median LOS fell within 9 days of that number, between 81 days and 99 days.

• The median LOS was longest among non-Hispanic Black discharges (103 days) and among discharges who reported opiates as the primary substance (109 days).
• The median LOS was shortest (60 days) among discharges who were employed at admission.
  

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