River Oaks: A Treatment Center with Proven Results

While struggling with substance misuse doesn’t have to be anyone’s reality, unfortunately it is for many. The good news is that there are facilities across the U.S. that can help those struggling with addiction work towards recovery. American Addiction Centers (AAC) is one such company.

With several treatment and detox centers dotting the country, including the River Oaks facility located in Tampa, Florida, AAC seeks to provide a comprehensive and quality recovery experience while remaining compassionate to those battling substance misuse and co-occurring health disorders.

And there’s more good news: For many, treatment works. Between May 20, 2018 and April 30, 2019, a total of 517 clients discharged from the River Oaks facility. Of those 517, 71% of people successfully completed the treatment program.

The company’s Treatment Effectiveness Report is just one of the ways River Oaks, and AAC, provides transparency into the recovery process of addiction treatment.

“Academic research has proven that providing clinicians with patient-reported data helps patients get better faster during treatment by identifying those who aren’t progressing well,” said Joanna Conti, CEO of Vista Research Group.

“Because many of River Oaks’ clients successfully completed both short-term residential programs and an intensive outpatient program,” River Oaks’ treatment report read, “the fact that their 75% successful completion rate is substantially higher than the nationwide completion rate for both short-term residential programs and IOP programs is a very positive finding.”¹

Life Before Treatment

To provide a baseline, INSIGHT Addiction asked participating patients about how they felt the 30 days before treatment began.

Out of the 746 clients entering the River Oaks facility during this data collection period, 68% reported “feeling poor or terrible during the 30 days before beginning treatment,” while only 10% stated that they felt good. ¹

Furthermore, 79% lived in a stable environment, the majority of the patients were white (80%), 59% were male, and 29% held an associate’s degree or higher.

Because many of River Oaks’ clients successfully completed both short-term residential programs and an intensive outpatient program, the fact that their 75% successful completion rate is substantially higher than the nationwide completion rate for both short-term residential programs and IOP programs is a very positive finding.”

River Oaks Treatment Report

The patients who started treatment on their own volition were in the majority (75%), while just a little over half of that amount (46%) entered treatment because a family member or friend asked them to go. The third highest reason (19%) that drew patients to treatment included those who were hospitalized within a short period of time just before entering treatment.

The majority of patients at intake entered with either depression (73%), anxiety (68%), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (62%), suicidal thoughts (38%), or an eating disorder (28%), which is why River Oaks takes diagnosing substance misuse with co-occurring health disorders so seriously; the two are often interconnected.

Eighty-eight percent of the River Oaks’ patients entered treatment “having a severe alcohol or drug use disorder” (SUD) and nearly half of that percentage (42%) “experienced all 11 of the DSM-5 SUD criteria in the year before starting treatment.” ¹

With this information, clinicians at River Oaks were proactive in helping patients with specific co-occurring health disorders and addictions. This allows clinicians to create more effective treatment plans and provide patients with a greater opportunity for a successful and long-term recovery.

Progress During Treatment

River Oaks offers a continuum of care for patients, which allows for an easy shift for clients moving from one treatment level to another. As patients progressed within treatment, data from INSIGHT Addiction showed that there was a significant improvement in patients with co-occurring disorders, as well as a reduction in suicidal thoughts.

Among the 282 patients in treatment between May 20, 2018 and April 30, 2019 who had provided one progress survey response, there was a substantial reduction in symptoms between the point of intake and the last episode survey that they had taken. For example, those experiencing symptoms of depression went from 77% at intake to 9% during the last treatment episode.

According to the report, “The majority (76%) of River Oaks patients submitting ongoing progress monitoring surveys were very satisfied with the treatment they were receiving.” ¹

River Oaks and Treatment Success

Although only 17 patients reported their final survey when asked about their detox goals, 88% of this group reported that their detox goals were met.

Patients were asked about their treatment goals in regular (non-detox) treatment. They were told that this particular survey would likely be the last one that they would need to take during treatment. This equated to 166 patients reporting that they were asked about their treatment goals and 90% of them relayed that their goals were met.

At the end of treatment, patients were able to provide their overall written feedback on their treatment program experience. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

One patient stated, “I really appreciate all the love and compassion that I have received during my stay at River Oaks! Honestly, my therapy and adjusted medications have changed my perception of life. I’m a testament that recovery is not unreachable.” ¹

Even feedback perceived to be negative is an asset for continuous improvement for River Oaks and the patients. One patient felt that patients should be given more suggestions “on how to work their way back into society and how to function once they’re in it.”¹ The fact that they want to know how to integrate more effectively into society demonstrated, at minimum, a desire to live a more productive life, in part because of what they experienced within treatment.

INSIGHT Addiction provided a new, more detailed perspective of how treatment at River Oaks can change lives. Going forward, these insights can continue to help staff at the facility customize treatment for its patients.

This report lets current and prospective patients know, too, that River Oaks is a facility you can trust with your recovery.

How Valuable Information was Collected

INSIGHT Addiction is a HIPAA-compliant data analytics platform created by Vista Research Group to improve treatment outcomes. It allows the treatment facilities to analyze 29 key metrics broken down by clinician, program, center, and time period.

Between May 20, 2018 through April 30, 2019, INSIGHT Addiction collected data from River Oaks that included 746 clients who attended during that time period.

The data gathered included how patients were feeling throughout the treatment process. From there, digestible graphs were compiled in real time, allowing clinicians to make adjustments to care as new data was introduced. The research was patient-reported online, so River Oaks was able to receive the valuable data with minimal effort.

 

References

1. American Addiction Centers: River Oaks. (2019). Treatment Effectiveness Report 2019. Annapolis, MD. Vista Research Group, Inc.