Measuring program performance in methadone treatment using in-treatment outcomes: an illustration.

Quality measurement and quality assurance in substance abuse treatment have, over the past few years, become a major policy issue. In addition, there is interest in the degree to which client outcomes can play a role in measuring treatment program performance. This article discusses the movement toward outcome-based performance measurement in substance abuse treatment. Examples of the products that such a performance measurement system might produce are provided. Why outcomes must be case-mix adjusted is discussed. In addition, using data from 18 methadone programs and more than 2,000 methadone clients from the Treatment Outcome Prospective Study, an illustration of case-mix-adjusted performance measurement is provided.