Acadia Healthcare Outcome Studies

As a leading provider of behavioral healthcare, and as an organization that consistently takes steps to innovate the way that mental health and addiction treatment is delivered, Acadia Healthcare is focused on implementing measurement-based care (MBC). Collecting data on patient progress and therapy outcomes are important for treatment fidelity, therapeutic alliance, patient satisfaction, and ensuring that we have a full understanding of what works for our patients. Additionally, by tracking how individuals respond to treatment and identifying where successes and failures lie, we are able to improve the services we offer to ensure that those who seek our care receive the most optimal treatment available.

Sierra Tucson, one of Acadia’s flagship facilities, has been at the forefront of implementing measurement-based care. Antoinette Giedzinska, Ph.D., the Director of Neuroscience and Outcomes at Sierra Tucson, notes that the primary purpose of implementing MBC in the patient process is “to facilitate opportunities to further elevate treatment effectiveness and program fidelity through patient-centered treatment team review of patient progress measured through standardized and valid assessments.”

Crucial to this is encouraging patients to consistently meet with their treatment team to discuss their progress in detail. Hearing whether the patient feels as though their symptoms have been improving, have remained stagnant, or have deteriorated allows us to take an in-depth look at the treatment we are providing so that we can ensure that we are fully meeting our patients’ needs.

By implementing measurement-based care, we are able to gain a deeper insight into our patients and enhance the therapeutic alliance. Patients need to know that we are on their side and that everything we do in the treatment setting is designed solely for the purpose of providing them with the highest quality of care.

In order to ensure the delivery of clinically excellent care, Dr. Giedzinska emphasizes that all Acadia facilities must consistently strive for an overall improved patient treatment experience. Measurement-based care, although ambitious, is achievable when implemented through rigorous methodology, with appropriate psychometrics that align with each service line’s mission, and using conservative analyses that adhere to rigorous and ethical statistical practice.

In their 2019 report, the staff at Sierra Tucson compiled data on posttreatment progress.

The data collected thus far through the post-discharge recovery coaching program, Connect365, have demonstrated that, after discharging, the majority of patients who participated in Sierra Tucson’s outcomes study reported having experienced significant symptom improvement, improved overall quality of life, and greater happiness within their primary relationships. Additionally, patients have reported that they feel a great deal of confidence in their ability to manage the stressors of daily life.

As measurement-based care becomes the standard for the treatment process, there will be greater reliability in the efficacy of the treatment we provide. We will be able to continually measure our patients’ progress and implement changes to programming when necessary to ensure that treatment is successful on all levels.

We look forward to having the company follow Sierra Tucson’s lead and make MBC the standard for all treatment we provide.