Two separate tracks? A national multivariate analysis of differences between public and private substance abuse treatment programs.

TLDR: It was found that, in most treatment settings, for-profit programs were smaller and more likely to specialize in providing treatment in a single setting, but public programs differed from public programs operated by state and local governments.

Abstract: Objective: This study describes differences between public and private substance abuse treatment programs. Method: Data from the National Drug and Alcoholism Treatment Unit Survey (NDATUS) were analyzed with regression models that evaluated the association between ownership and program characteristics. Results: Programs operated by state and local government and nonprofit agencies had more staff, but federal and for-profit programs employed more psychologists and medical doctors. We found that, in most treatment settings, for-profit programs were smaller and more likely to specialize in providing treatment in a single setting. Methadone maintenance programs were larger when operated under for-profit ownership, however. For-profit programs received more funding from private insurance and client fees. Conclusions: We found substantial differences between public and private programs, but this division was not strictly dichotomous. Federal programs differed from public programs operated by state and local gov...