Los Angeles County Evaluation System: An Outcomes Reporting Program (LACES)

The Los Angeles County Evaluation System: An Outcomes Reporting Program (LACES) is in its 13th year of providing the following services for substance abuse treatment providers funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Substance Abuse Prevention and Control:

Assessing effectiveness of services
Assessing client outcomes and the effectiveness of specific service modalities (e.g., residential, outpatient)
Reviewing programs for efficiency and effectiveness
Working with providers to improve services through training, education, and preparation for federal health care reform.

Recently, LACES has been involved in a number of cutting-edge projects with the County of Los Angeles, including telepsychiatry and medication-assisted treatment.

Telepsychiatry involves using a camera, a computer, and high speed Internet to link medical and other treatment professionals with patients who may not otherwise have access to specialty care. For example, it can be difficult to get addiction psychiatrists and other specialists to rural areas in the County of Los Angeles, such as Antelope Valley. SAPC and UCLA have worked together over the last several months to implement telepsychiatry at the Antelope Valley Rehabilitation Center (AVRC) in Acton. The use of telepsychiatry reduces costs by eliminating travel time, thereby increasing the amount of time dedicated to patient care.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, “MAT is the use of medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a whole-patient approach to the treatment of substance use disorders. Research shows that when treating substance-use disorders, a combination of medication and behavioral therapies is most successful.” Los Angeles County is currently evaluating the use of Vivitrol to address cravings for alcohol.

The next step in LACES will be the development of outcome and performance standards.

For more information, visit www.laces-ucla.org.