NIATx E-News (July 2006)

E-News Update
July 2006

In This Issue

Increasing Admissions in Mental Health Program

Asian Counseling and Referral Service is a social service agency that provides an array of human services, including mental health and substance abuse treatment programs. The management teams for both these programs recognized that many clients receiving mental health treatment also needed substance abuse services. They estimated that at least 25 percent of mental health clients may be dual-diagnosis clients.

For the period January to December 2005, ACRS tested and implemented several change cycles, with the objective of raising the number of admissions from its clients in mental health treatment into its substance abuse program. These changes led to a 260 percent increase in admissions, and also contributed additional revenue to ACRS. Revenue from the substance abuse program rose from $4,200 in 2004 to $15,120 in 2005.

ACRS staff also learned valuable lessons in the process, including the need to collaborate with staff who are directly involved in key activities, the importance of management support, as well as the value of recognizing staffmembers who have done extra work. [READ MORE]

NRI Community Services: The Value of a Walk-Through
Kentucky River Community Care: Improving the Intake and Appointment System

NIATx Presentations

August 10-13
Presentation on Women-Focused Addiction Treatment: Process Improvement for Gender-Targeted Services at the American Psychological Association Conference
New Orleans, LA

NRI Community Services: The Value of a Walk-Through

Karen Rathbun has been with NRI Community Services (NRICS) for nearly two decades. One NIATx strategy that has transformed NRICS organization-wide is the walk-through, which Karen has found to be an excellent tool for workforce development. "The walk-through is a simple exercise that really opens your eyes to how your organization is working, for both your internal and external customers," she comments. "My eyes are opened every time." [READ MORE]

Kentucky River Community Care: Improving the Intake and Appointment System

NIATx National Program Office Editor Maureen Fitzgerald recently wrote an article for Behavioral Healthcare Management, highlighting the Kentucky River Community Care (KRCC) Change Team that implemented several changes to improve the intake and appointment system. As a result of these changes, one of their outpatient sites has offered intake appointments within 24 hours of a first request since June 2004, a significant improvement over the prechange average waiting time of 21 days. [READ MORE]