Kentucky Treatment Outcome Study (KTOS)

Kentucky’s Treatment Outcomes Study (KTOS) is a statewide substance abuse treatment client outcome study initiated in 1998 by the Division of Behavioral Health, Developmental, and Intellectual Disabilities (DBHDID) to serve as the statewide outcomes program to meet the legislative requirement for KRS 222.465. Data collection is required of all state funded treatment providers including outpatient, residential, or inpatient treatment programs licensed as a chemical dependency treatment service. Intake (baseline) data are collected by CMHC staff who read structured interview questions to each client and enter client responses into the University of Kentucky Center on Drug & Alcohol Research’s (UKCDAR) electronic data collection program. UKCDAR conducts high quality telephone follow-up interviews with a sample of consenting clients from KTOS, AKTOS, and KORTOS with scientifically recognized high follow up rates. The structured interviews used for data collection at intake and follow-up are based on the Addiction Severity Index with the goal of examining National Outcome Measures regarding changes in client substance use, employment, education, recovery support, and mental health. Originally, intake interview data were collected with all substance abuse treatment clients ages 10-99 within their first few treatment visits. Around 2003, the DBHDID requested CDAR develop a sub-study and unique intake and follow-up interview that specifically focused on adolescents in specialized and general treatment settings ages 11-17. Using adapted language from the Teen Addiction Severity Index questions, a special Adolescent KTOS structured interview began statewide use in 2004. Given this sub-study focuses exclusively on adolescents, unique procedures and challenges are addressed to ensure the highest quality data and sensitivity as well as confidentiality at both the baseline and the follow-up data collection points. In 2006, the DBHDID asked for another sub-study to be incorporated into KTOS focusing on clients of opiate treatment programs (OTPs). Following in-depth consultation with OTP providers, DBHDID staff, and other experts, a structured interview was programmed in 2007 and began statewide use as the Kentucky Opiate Recovery Treatment Outcome Study (KORTOS). In addition to baseline and follow-up data, KORTOS includes data on client-level drug screen results, dose type and levels, and treatment phases, which are entered weekly into the KORTOS Client Status program by each OTP site. This database serves as a unique statewide disaster preparedness service to ensure continuity of care for OTP clients. This sub-study also requires unique procedures and challenges given the unique characteristics of this particular population and the needs of multiple level data collections across the various sites. Currently all three studies – KTOS, AKTOS, and KORTOS – are operated within one contract between UKCDAR and DBHDID. The following describes the general SCOPE OF WORK expected as part of this contract for management of all three of these statewide outcome studies.