Examining facilitative services for entry into substance use disorder treatment: A cluster analysis of treatment facilities

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 19; no. 5; p. e0304094
• Main Authors: Amoako, Emmanuel O, Zerden, Lisa D, Hughes, Tamera D, Gertner, Alex K, Williams, Joseph, Belden, C Micha, Ware, Orrin D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 23-05-2024; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Access; Analysis; Barriers; Care and treatment; Clinics; Cluster Analysis; Clusters; Datasets; Drug abuse; Drug addiction; Drug use; Engineering and Technology; Health Services Accessibility - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Insurance coverage; Medical treatment; Medicine and Health Sciences; Nonprofit organizations; Ownership; Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act 2010-US; Physical Sciences; Research and Analysis Methods; Services; Social Sciences; Social services; Social support; Socioeconomic factors; Socioeconomic status; Substance abuse; Substance abuse treatment; Substance Abuse Treatment Centers - statistics & numerical data; Substance use; Substance use disorder; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Substance-Related Disorders - therapy; Surveys; Telemedicine; United States; Variables; United States; United States > US
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304094

We examined services to facilitate access to entering substance use disorder (SUD) treatment among a national sample of SUD treatment facilities.
We analyzed data from the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS) 2020. Facilities were included in the sample based on criteria such as SUD treatment provision and being in the U.S. Cluster analysis was conducted using variables including ownership, levels of care, and whether facilities provide services or accept payment options aimed at reducing treatment barriers. National and state-level data on the percentage of facilities in each cluster were presented.
Among N = 15,788 SUD treatment facilities four distinct clusters were identified: Cluster 1 consisted of for-profit and government outpatient facilities with high proportions of services to reduce barriers (22.2%). Cluster 2, comprised of non-profit outpatient facilities, offered the most comprehensive array of services to minimize barriers to treatment among all four clusters (25.2%). Cluster 3 included facilities with diverse ownership and care levels and provided a moderate to high degree of services aimed at reducing entry barriers to treatment (26.0%). Cluster 4 was primarily for-profit outpatient facilities with a low proportion of these services (26.6%).
This study revealed facility-level groupings with different services to reduce barriers to SUD treatment across various clusters of SUD treatment facilities. While some facilities offered extensive services, others provided fewer. Differences in cluster distributions point to possible facilitators to treatment access for some persons seeking admission to specific treatment facilities. Efforts should be made to ensure that individuals seeking SUD treatment can access these services, and facilities should be adequately equipped to meet their diverse needs.