Chapter 9 presents data on the reason for discharge and median length of stay (LOS) in treatment for the 22,341 discharges aged 12 and older from medication-assisted opioid detoxification (i.e., detoxification with methadone or buprenorphine) in 2009. Twenty-five of the 45 reporting States and jurisdictions had discharges for this type of service [Table 9.1]. Discharges aged 12 and older from medication-assisted opioid detoxification included 47 percent from outpatient detoxification, 27 percent from free-standing residential detoxification, and 26 percent from hospital detoxification (see Chapter 1).

Reason for Discharge

Table 9.1 and Figure 9.1. Of the 22,341 discharges aged 12 and older from medication-assisted opioid detoxification in 2009:

• 49 percent (n = 11,017) completed treatment
• 16 percent (n = 3,476) were transferred to further treatment
• 31 percent (n = 6,959) dropped out of treatment
• 1 percent (n = 302) had treatment terminated by the facility
• 3 percent (n = 587) failed to complete treatment for other reasons
  

Median Length of Stay (LOS)

Table 1.4 and Figure 9.2. The median LOS in 2009 for medication-assisted opioid detoxification discharges aged 12 and older was 6 days. By reason for discharge, the median LOS for medication-assisted opioid detoxification discharges was:

• 5 days among those who completed treatment
• 9 days among those who transferred to further treatment
• 15 days among those who dropped out of treatment
• 10 days among those whose treatment was terminated by the facility
• 13 days among those who failed to complete treatment for other reasons
  

Characteristics at Admission

Table 1.6. Medication-assisted opioid detoxification discharges aged 12 and older displayed some major differences from all discharges aged 12 and older combined. Of medication-assisted opioid detoxification discharges aged 12 and older:

• 15 percent were over 50 years old compared to 11 percent of all discharges; 6 percent were aged 12 to 20 compared to 14 percent of all discharges
• 16 percent were non-Hispanic Black compared to 20 percent of all discharges, and 17 percent were of Hispanic origin compared to 14 percent of all discharges
• 88 percent reported opiates as the primary substance of abuse compared to 21 percent of all discharges
• 89 percent reported daily use of the primary substance in the month before treatment entry compared to 38 percent of all discharges; 2 percent reported no substance use in the month before treatment entry compared to 29 percent of all discharges
• 69 percent reported one or more prior treatment episodes compared to 58 percent of all discharges
• 81 percent were self- or individual referrals to treatment compared to 33 percent of all discharges
  

Treatment Completion

Tables 9.2 and 9.3. Table 9.2 enumerates the characteristics at admission of discharges aged 12 and over from medication-assisted opioid detoxification by reason for discharge. Table 9.3 is based on Table 9.2. 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. Table 9.3 also provides the median LOS among medication-assisted opioid detoxification discharges aged 12 and over that completed treatment.

Completion/Transfer Rates and Characteristics at Admission

The overall combined treatment completion/transfer rate among medication-assisted opioid detoxification discharges aged 12 and over was 65 percent.

• Among variables whose categories represented a continuum—age, frequency of use, number of prior treatment episodes, and level of education—higher completion/transfer rates among medication-assisted opioid detoxification discharges were associated with these three:
  
  • Younger age—the completion/transfer rate fell from 68 percent among discharges aged 12 to 20 years to 61 percent among those aged 50 and over
  • More frequent use—the completion/transfer rate fell from 65 percent among discharges who reported daily use to 61 percent among those who reported no use in the past month
  • Higher educational level—70 percent of discharges with more than 12 years of education completed treatment or transferred to further treatment; the rate fell to 59 percent among discharges with fewer than 12 years of education
    
• Among other characteristics (race/ethnicity, primary substance, treatment referral source, employment status), the completion/transfer rate among medication-assisted opioid detoxification discharges aged 12 and over ranged from:
  
  • 57 percent among discharges of Hispanic origin to 79 percent among non-Hispanic Black discharges
  • 63 percent of discharges who reported opiates as the primary substance to 80 percent of those who reported alcohol or cocaine
  • 62 percent of discharges who were self- or individually referred to treatment to 76 percent of discharges who were referred to treatment by the criminal justice system
  • 56 percent of discharges who were employed to 67 percent of discharges who were unemployed/not in labor force
    

Median LOS among Discharges Completing Treatment

The overall median LOS in 2009 among discharges aged 12 and older completing medication-assisted opioid detoxification was 5 days.

• The median LOS was longest (21 days) among those who indicated no use of any substance in the past month
• The median LOS was shortest (4 days) among discharges who reported alcohol as the primary substance, for those whose age was 41 to 50 years, and those whose race/ethnicity was non-Hispanic Black or other than Hispanic, Black, or White
  

To Tables

To Table of Contents