We have all heard the definition of insanity, especially if
you are in recovery. It means doing the same thing over and over expecting
different results. As we work in the field of trying to help addicts move into
sobriety and stay in sobriety, we can’t help but get frustrated and saddened by
repeated relapses, death of our clients, and incarceration of our client due to
relapses.
Addiction truly is insanity in action. But perhaps we need
to be taking a look at our treatment plans and ask if we aren’t behaving in the
same manner. Repeating the same patterns with each client, and expecting
different results. Sometimes the plan works, which gives us enough inspiration
to keep repeating the treatment plan with hopes that sooner or later it will
work with each one because we will get good enough at our jobs, find the rights
words, give the client the right tools, etc. Is it time to treat addiction in a
completely new way?
As science has made huge advances in brain imaging and
understanding the mechanisms of addiction, treatment has made slow progress in
comparison. What is progress though? How
do we measure progress in the field of addiction treatment? In a recent article
Telehealth rises as crucial tool for
substance abuse treatment, by Joseph Goedert, Jacob Levenson states “In the
addiction treatment arena there is no standardization-we can’t agree on what
success looks like and what relapse is, or what treatment methods to utilize.”
Levenson is the CEO of Map Health Management.
And he hints at the core of the addiction treatment problem: We haven’t
even been able to clarify -- and insurance companies are growing tired of
paying for -- treatments that can’t be proven to improve outcomes for the
consumers once they leave.
Levenson goes on to state that Map Health Management (a data
analytics vendor focusing on behavioral health) has multiple insurers lined up
to measure quality among provider networks. One of the key things they use to
measure quality is how adequately providers engage patients AFTER they leave
the hospital or rehabilitation center.
Cost effectiveness and return on value are also components to measure
quality.
Telehealth is one way that is proving to be extremely
effective, and relatively low cost, in engaging consumers to stay focused on
their recovery plans and goals. Consumers are monitored via telephone or video
by professional recovery coaches and peer specialists who are able to check in
with whatever frequency the consumer needs to feel supported and not isolated.
Hope Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse of Kenosha WI
has been a leader in their county, utilizing recovery coaches to work with
their clients in the Intoxicated Driver Program. Through a grant, they are able
to provide free coaching to clients who qualify, for up to two years. The grant
also allows monies to support people referred to Hope Council through other
agencies. Recovery coaches provide weekly support to clients via telephone
monitoring.
The future of the addiction recovery industry points clearly
in the direction of professional coaching helping to ensure results following a
PHP or IOP engagement. While we need to
continue to keep evolving addiction treatment in the initial assessment and
care, telehealth and professional coaching can make certain we’re not doing the
same thing over and over, expecting different results.
