This report presents results from the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) for discharges from substance abuse treatment in 2007. The report provides information on treatment completion, length of stay in treatment, and demographic and substance abuse characteristics of discharges from alcohol or drug treatment in facilities that reported to individual State administrative data systems. Data are presented for specific service types rather than for treatment episodes, which can involve treatment in multiple service types.

• 46 States submitted 1,740,879 records for discharges occurring in 2007; after exclusions (see Chapter 2), 1,669,783 were eligible for this report
• 98 percent of the eligible records (n = 1,629,363) could be linked to a TEDS admission record from 2000 through 2007. The 1,626,363 linked discharge records form the basis for this report [Tables 2.1a and 2.1b]

Type of Service

Of the 1,629,363 discharges in 2007 [Table 2.2b]:

• 45 percent were discharged from outpatient treatment
• 20 percent were discharged from detoxification
• 11 percent were discharged from intensive outpatient treatment
• 11 percent were discharged from short-term residential treatment
• 8 percent were discharged from long-term residential treatment
• 5 percent were discharged from medication-assisted (i.e., using methadone or buprenorphine) opioid therapy or detoxification
• Less than 1 percent were discharged from hospital residential treatment

Reason for Discharge

Of the 1,629,363 discharges in 2007 [Table 2.3b]:¹

• 45 percent of the discharges completed treatment
• 15 percent of the discharges were transferred to further treatment
• 26 percent of the discharges dropped out of treatment
• 7 percent of the discharges had treatment terminated by the facility
• 2 percent of the discharges were incarcerated
• Less than 1 percent of the discharges were because of death
• 5 percent of the discharges failed to complete treatment for other reasons

Treatment Completion by Service Type

The treatment completion rate was 45 percent for discharges from all service types combined. For the individual service types, treatment was completed by [Table 2.4]:

• 66 percent of discharges from detoxification
• 57 percent of discharges from short-term residential treatment
• 49 percent of discharges from hospital residential treatment
• 46 percent of discharges from long-term residential treatment
• 38 percent of discharges from outpatient treatment
• 34 percent of discharges from intensive outpatient treatment
• 30 percent of discharges from medication-assisted opioid detoxification
• 12 percent of discharges from outpatient medication-assisted opioid therapy

Median Length of Stay (LOS)

The median LOS in treatment by type of service [Table 2.4]:

• 155 days for discharges from outpatient medication-assisted opioid therapy
• 77 days for discharges from outpatient treatment
• 58 days for discharges from long-term residential treatment
• 51 days for discharges from intensive outpatient treatment
• 24 days for discharges from short-term residential treatment
• 8 days for discharges from hospital residential treatment
• 17 days for discharges from medication-assisted opioid detoxification
• 4 days for discharges from detoxification

The median LOS by type of service, limited to only those who completed treatment [Table 2.4]:

• 184 days for discharges completing outpatient medication-assisted opioid therapy
• 118 days for discharges completing outpatient treatment
• 89 days for discharges completing long-term residential treatment
• 72 days for discharges completing intensive outpatient treatment
• 27 days for discharges completing short-term residential treatment
• 21 days for discharges completing medication-assisted opioid detoxification
• 18 days for discharges completing hospital residential treatment
• 4 days for discharges completing detoxification

To Table of Contents