The Dasis Report (Drug and Alcohol Information System)
November 21, 2003

Discharges from Outpatient Treatment: 2000
In Brief
  • About one third (34 percent) of outpatient treatment episodes involved individuals who completed treatment while 8 percent involved those who were transferred to further treatment
    •
  • The outpatient treatment completion rate was highest, at 41 percent, for episodes where alcohol was the primary substance

  • The median length of stay for completed outpatient treatment episodes was 91 days

This report examines discharge data in the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).1 The TEDS system is comprised of two major components, the Admission Data System and the Discharge Data System. Both admission and discharge data come primarily from facilities that receive some public funding.

States are asked to submit data for all discharges from substance abuse treatment. Approximately 348,000 records for clients discharged from treatment in 2000 were submitted by 18 States,2 and 94 percent of these records could be linked to a TEDS admission record. These 326,000 linked admission/discharge records are referred to as treatment episodes.

This report presents data on the 36 percent (117,000) of these episodes that represent clients who received outpatient treatment (Table 1). Clients discharged from intensive outpatient treatment and outpatient detoxification are not included in this report.3
Table 1. Discharges from Outpatient Treatment by Reason for Discharge and Primary Substance at Admission: 2000
 

Reason for Discharge
Primary substance at admission
Total
Treatment completed
Transferred to further treatment
Left against professional advice
Terminated by facility
Other
Alcohol
59,300
24,200
4,300
12,200
12,300
6,300
Opiates
8,400
2,300
600
2,500
2,300
700
Cocaine
13,700
2,800
1,000
3,600
4,800
1,500
Marijuana/hashish
26,400
8,400
2,100
6,500
6,700
2,700
Stimulants
6,000
1,800
900
1,600
900
800
Other/unknown
3,000
900
200
700
600
600
Total
116,800
40,400
9,100
27,100
27,600
12,600
Source: 2000 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).


Reasons for Discharge
About a third (34 percent) of outpatient treatment episodes involved individuals who completed treatment and another 8 percent involved those who were transferred to another treatment program (Figure 1). The remaining outpatient treatment episodes involved clients who left against professional advice (23 percent); whose treatment was terminated by the facility (24 percent); or who were discharged for other reasons (11 percent).

Figure 1. Reason for Discharge among Outpatient Treatment Discharges: 2000
Figure 1. Reason for Discharge among Outpatient Treatment Discharges: 2000
Source: 2000 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).


Primary Substance
Alcohol was the primary substance of abuse4 in 58 percent of the completed outpatient treatment episodes (Figure 2), followed by marijuana (21 percent), cocaine (8 percent), opiates (6 percent), stimulants (5 percent), and other substances (2 percent).

Figure 2. Primary Substance at Admission Among Outpatient Treatment Completers: 2000
Figure 2. Primary Substance at Admission Among Outpatient Treatment Completers: 2000
Source: 2000 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).


Completion of Outpatient Treatment
 The outpatient treatment completion rate was highest, at 41 percent, for episodes involving alcohol as the primary substance of abuse (Figure 3). For outpatient treatment episodes with marijuana as the primary substance, the completion rate was 32 percent. Outpatient treatment completion rates for episodes where the primary substances were stimulants or opiates were 30 percent and 27 percent. Outpatient treatment episodes involving cocaine as the primary substance were least likely to be completed, at 21 percent.

Figure 3. Primary Substance of Outpatient Treatment Discharges, by Reason for Discharge: 2000
Figure 3. Primary Substance of Outpatient Treatment Discharges, by Reason for Discharge: 2000
Source: 2000 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).


Median Length of Stay
The median length of stay for completed outpatient treatment episodes was 91 days, ranging from 49 days for opiates to 105 days for stimulants (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Median Length of Stay among Outpatient Treatment Completers, by Primary Substance: 2000
Figure 4. Median Length of Stay among Outpatient Treatment Completers, by Primary Substance: 2000
Source: 2000 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).


End Notes
1For an earlier report on TEDS discharges, see Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. The DASIS report: Treatment Completion in the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). Rockville, MD. January 30, 2003.

2 States included are CA, GA, HI, IA, IL, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MS, MT, NE, NM, OH, OK, UT, and WY.

3Because treatment completion rates and lengths of stay vary across modalities or types of treatment, reports on other modalities, including intensive outpatient, short-term residential, long-term residential, and detoxification treatment will be presented in future DASIS reports.

4The primary substance of abuse is the main substance abused at the time of admission.

The Drug and Alcohol Services Information System (DASIS) is an integrated data system maintained by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). One component of DASIS is the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). TEDS is a compilation of data on the demographic characteristics and substance abuse problems of those admitted for substance abuse treatment. The information comes primarily from facilities that receive some public funding. Information on treatment admissions is routinely collected by State administrative systems and then submitted to SAMHSA in a standard format. Approximately 1.6 million records are included in TEDS each year. TEDS records represent admissions rather than individuals, as a person may be admitted to treatment more than once.

The DASIS Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA; Synectics for Management Decisions, Inc., Arlington, Virginia; and RTI, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Information and data for this issue are based on data reported to TEDS through April 1, 2002.

Access the latest TEDS reports at:
www.oas.samhsa.gov/dasis.htm

Access the latest TEDS public use files at:
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/SAMHDA.htm

Other substance abuse reports are available at:
http://oas.samhsa.gov
The DASIS Report is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA. Additional copies of this report or other reports from the Office of Applied Studies are available on-line: http://oas.samhsa.gov. Citation of the source is appreciated.

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