Native Center for Alcohol Research and Education (NCARE), Transition to Recovery

The primary goal of alcohol detoxification is to medically manage acute intoxication and withdrawal. Its secondary goal of fostering entry into longer-term alcohol treatment post-detoxification is often overlooked. This leads to a revolving door characterized by a cyclical pattern of discharges and re-admissions to detoxification. This pattern is observed across the US among alcohol detoxification patients and is even more prevalent among Alaska Native people; few transition to alcohol treatment following detoxification and approximately 40% are readmitted within 1 year. The revolving door is costly to patients and providers. Current estimates associated with the cost of detoxification are not available. A study over 25 years ago indicated the average inpatient detoxification stay was over $3,300. Although the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration recognizes that better linkages are needed to transition people to treatment following detoxification, few interventions have tested ways to improve this transition; none of these prior studies included either Alaska Natives or American Indians.

This study proposes to use patient navigators to guide and assist patients in their transition to the appropriate levels of treatment, and to help eliminate barriers that obstruct treatment entry. This is a randomized controlled trial of the patient navigation intervention with 612 patients. We will estimate the costs of implementing and sustaining this intervention as well as its economic value. The control condition will include 1 session of motivational interviewing lasting approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. The intervention group will also receive motivational interviewing and in addition will work with a patient navigator to facilitate entry into the appropriate level of care and provide ongoing support until the patient is admitted to treatment or the intervention period ends.

Specific Aims:

1. Adapt patient navigation (Transitions to Recovery) to fit the patient population and test its effectiveness in increasing successful transition to post-detoxification substance abuse treatment.
2. Test patient navigation's effectiveness in preventing readmission to detoxification.
3. Perform a comprehensive economic evaluation of patient navigation (Transition to Recovery) by using cost-benefit analyses.

If effective, this intervention may be a cost-effective means of transitioning detoxification patients to treatment across health care systems nationally.