NIATx Resources
2014 DBHR WA State Provider Survey
- 11% of respondents reported using NIATx resources;
- 22% knew of NIATx but do not use it;
- 63% had never heard of NIATx.
Some commented that it’s very helpful and they hoped others would learn about it.[more about the survey]
NIATx, founded in 2003, works with behavioral health care organizations across the United States to try to improve access to and retention in treatment for the millions of Americans with substance use disorder and/or mental health issues.
It is a learning collaborative within the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies (CHESS) and is supported by a partnership among SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, the Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network (ATTC Network), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and other organizations.
NIATx aims to teach drug and alcohol treatment centers to use process improvement strategies to improve access to and retention in addiction treatment, focusing on The Four Aims:
- Reduce waiting time between first request for service and first treatment session;
- Reduce no-shows by reducing the number of patients who do not keep an appointment;
- Increase admissions to treatment;
- Increase continuation from the first through the fourth treatment session.
To achieve these goals, participants tackle one barrier after another in a rapid cycle of identifying a problem, testing solutions, and evaluating results. NIATx also offers a range of resources, like The 5 Principles and The 10 Steps, designed to help clients enter treatment and successfully continue, while also increasing revenue, reducing costs, and improving staff morale.
The NIATx model of process improvement has been field-tested by a number of treatment organizations throughout the United States; check out these peer-reviewed research articles for an overview of the successful outcomes that result from implementing the NIATx model.
For an overview of NIATx, check out this introductory video:
Promising Practices
NIATx's Promising Practices have been tested by behavioral health organizations and have resulted in improvements related to The Four Aims (see above).
On the main Promising Practices website, you can view the entire practice list or use their search tool to create a focused list sorted by aims, ease of implementation, expected benefit, or other criteria. This tool makes it easy to compile a list of, for example, "Easy" practices with "High" benefit. There are a wide range of practices focused on increasing client retention and engagement.
Find the complete list of Promising Practices here.
