Abstract:
The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the cost effectiveness for persons with traumatic brain injuries of early versus late treatment of substance abuse using a case management model. The early group were those individuals who initiate treatment within one year post-injury; the late group were those initiating treatment two to five years post-injury. Outcomes after nine months of treatment were compared between groups, as well as with a comparison group of subjects with substance abuse problems, matched for time post-injury, who did not receive case management. Cost per client (based on staff contact hours) of changes in substance use, community integration, and subjective well-being were compared between early and late groups. Subjects were drawn from a multi-center study funded by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, with treated groups drawn from a program at Ohio State University and comparison group subjects from the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.