A Peek Inside the Box: How Information Flows Through Substance Abuse Treatment Agencies

Abstract

This article describes how integrated health information technology affects the collection and flow of client-level intake and assessment data within substance abuse treatment agencies. We combined process mapping and qualitative inquiry methods to analyze staff interviews (N = 54) from eight agencies in four U.S. states. Integrated health information technology was related to expedited and improved flow of information, while nonintegrated health information technology systems were associated with double data entry, multiple eligibility screenings, and different intake processes across levels of care. Process mapping is an effective tool to identify barriers to efficient client-level data management and opportunities to leverage health information technology to streamline the intake process of substance abuse treatment agencies, improve staff productivity, and enhance the accuracy and information flow.

KEYWORDS:

• health information technology
• information flow
• process mapping
• staff productivity
• substance abuse treatment

The authors appreciate the assistance of Victor Capoccia, PhD, Elaine Cassidy, PhD, Dennis McCarty, PhD, Dierdre Mackey, MA, and Betty Tai, PhD, for their interest in and support of this work. We would also like to thank Steve Wagner for his efforts in the final editing and preparation of this manuscript. The research was support by funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Grant # 57582). Portions of this paper were presented at the College on Problems of Drug Dependence in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in June 2008. This work was conducted while Dr. Wisdom was in the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University.

Notes

^a Agency was in the process of implementing an integrated health IT system at the time of the study.

Note: HIT = health information technology.

The Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) is a partnership established in 2003 through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Path To Recovery program and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment's Strengthening Treatment Access and Retention (STAR) program.