Case mix in the downsizing state hospital

OBJECTIVE: The study examined whether local variations in levels of community-based services affect the case mix of state hospitals undergoing census reduction. METHODS: Trends in case mix over a 14-year period were analyzed at two Massachusetts state hospitals, one of which underwent more rapid census reduction due to expanded community resources in the catchment area it served. Data on patients\u27 hospital use and on sociodemographic and diagnostic characteristics obtained from 1977, 1986, and 1991 assessments of the hospitals\u27 populations were compared. These time points represented the beginning, midpoint, and end of the census reduction period. Data from 1991 on patients\u27 behavioral and functional status were also examined. RESULTS: Parallel trends on many dimensions were evident at the two hospitals as their censuses fell. By 1986 the hospital operating in the area with greater community services had fewer elderly and long-stay patients but a higher number of admissions per patient. In 1991 this hospital\u27s population also had more patients with high-risk violent behaviors and lower levels of functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Although alternative treatment settings allow diversion of many types of patients from state hospitals, expanded community-based services and alternative inpatient beds have not diverted some patient subgroups, including recidivists and patients with behaviors that present risks in other settings. Plans for meeting the clinical needs and behavioral challenges posed by such patients must be part of any further deinstitutionalization or privatization efforts

Characteristics of substance-abusing persons with schizophrenia: the paradox of the dually diagnosed

Previous studies have noted the paradox of the dually-diagnosed (serious mental illness and substance abuse) in which the dually-diagnosed are judged to be both behaviorally more disorganized and simultaneously more socially competent. This study sought to further assess this paradox with a large sample size and a comprehensive assessment approach. In this study, the dually-diagnosed (N = 233) differed significantly from the non-dually-diagnosed (N = 262) in the symptom paradox. The dually-diagnosed were judged both more behaviorally disorganized and socially intact. The comprehensive assessment approach yielded empirical data in support of three possible hypotheses to explain the paradox. The implications of the findings and the three possible hypotheses are discussed

The Impact of Enhanced Incentives on Vocational Rehabilitation Outcomes for Dually Diagnosed Veterans

This study evaluated the efficacy of adding contingency management techniques to vocational rehabilitation (VR) to improve treatment outcome as measured by entry into competitive employment. Nineteen dually diagnosed veterans who entered VR in the Veterans' Administration's compensated work therapy (CWT) program were randomly assigned to CWT (n  =  8) or to CWT with enhanced incentives (n  =  11). Over the first 16 weeks of rehabilitation, those in the incentives condition could earn up to $1,006 in cash for meeting two sets of clinical goals: (a) remaining abstinent from drugs and alcohol and (b) taking steps to obtain and maintain a competitive job. Results indicate that relative to participants in the CWT-only group, those in the incentives condition engaged in more job-search activities, were more likely to remain abstinent from drugs and alcohol, were more likely to obtain competitive employment, and earned an average of 68% more in wages. These results suggest that rehabilitation outcomes may be enhanced by restructuring traditional work-for-pay contingencies to include direct financial rewards for meeting clinical goals