Polaris Substance Abuse Assessment System Identifies Spike in Drug Abuse Among Heavy Drinkers

Langhorne, PA, January 27, 2012 --(PR.com)-- It is not uncommon for alcohol and drug abuse to go hand-in-hand, but the scope of the problem may have increased recently. A yearly analysis of data collected using Polaris Health Directions’ chemical dependency outcomes assessment system, Polaris-CD, has revealed a significant increase in drug use among patients seeking treatment for alcohol problems in California.

For more than a decade, Polaris-CD has been used to help clinicians plan and manage treatment for individuals and to identify best practices through aggregate data. Thirty thousand California patients have completed Polaris-CD assessments since 2007. For each year from 2007 through 2010 about one-third of alcoholism patients reported that they also used other drugs, the percentage never varied by more than 2 percent. In 2011 the number spiked to nearly half (46 percent).

With information such as this in hand, health care providers can better anticipate the changing needs of their patients and modify current practices accordingly. For example, Polaris-CD aggregate data helps organizations benchmark program performance, identify trends that predict the need for new types of programs and services, and conduct evidence-based evaluations of new service models.

At the individual level, Polaris-CD helps counselors identify areas in which a patient needs support such as mental health, employment or family, design effective treatment plans based on this information and then monitor case progress. The system contains predictive algorithms for relapse and dropout, and incorporates standardized Addiction Severity Index scales along with customized content to improve the prediction of chemical dependency outcomes.

For more information, contact Polaris at moreinfo@polarishealth.com or visit http://www.polarishealth.com. Follow Polaris on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/polarishealthdirections.

About Polaris Health Directions

At Polaris, we recognize that organizations cannot manage what they do not measure. Many behavioral health care providers and payers may not be collecting and analyzing enough of the right data to answer basic questions about the cost-effectiveness of the care they offer. Polaris's advanced technology and science driven assessment systems are designed to capture the clinical data essential to quality improvement and enhanced organizational management. Polaris solutions provide advanced analytics to help you improve and demonstrate to your customers the value of your care. With a focus on prediction, Polaris solutions do more than describe clinical change. Our systems also indicate if treatment is likely to have a positive result. Helping you make better decisions in the present by anticipating the future will be the difference in reducing your costs while improving patient care.

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