The goal of the project is to develop a summative evaluation process for substance abuse treatment programs. The evaluation design is unique in providing for (1) baseline co-morbidity measures; (2) measures of services provided to the client, and (3) six month post-discharge follow-up with improvement change scores compared against similar client subgroups from a large existing data base. The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) and the Treatment Services Review (TSR) will be used to measure co-morbidity and services received. Design of the evaluation system, construction of a TSR data base, expansion of the ASI data base, and selection of an ASI-based adolescent measure were accomplished in Phase I. In Phase II an Evaluation Handbook will be developed, report generation software developed and tested, a post- evaluation technical assistance process designed, and the full evaluation process will be pilot-tested. Commercial application is in providing systematic, scientifically sound, independent evaluation services to programs in both the public and private sectors, wishing to measure and improve their effectiveness, or responding to federal or private sectors (e.g. managed care) pressures to demonstrate effectiveness.
