Los Angeles County Evaluation System (LACES): Bringing Accountability to Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment through a Collaboration between Providers,Payers,and Researchers

Abstract

The design and early implementation stages of a large-scale, system-wide evaluation of Los Angeles County's substance abuse treatment system (Los Angeles County Evaluation System: An Outcomes Reporting Program, or LACES) will be examined. In the first stage of implementation, individuals entering treatment will provide a standardized data set using the Los Angeles County Participant Reporting System (LACPRS) admission forms and the Addiction Severity Index (ASI). At treatment program discharge, the LACPRS discharge form will be administered, and at one-year post admission the ASI will be re-administered to a stratified sample of 1,500 individuals from 31 “sentinel programs.” Additional information will be gathered on the services provided by Los Angeles County alcohol and other drug treatment/recovery programs. Data from LACES will provide the treatment providers feedback on the impact of treatment services and will create the foundation of an ongoing evaluation system for the County's substance abuse treatment clients and services.

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