The Inaugural Year: Program Evaluation of the Inpatient Addiction Medicine Consult Service

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this program evaluation is to evaluate the progress and clinical impact of the Inpatient Addiction Medicine Consult Team at Greenville Memorial Hospital and Richland Memorial Hospital from June 1, 2021, through August 31, 2022. The program evaluation will help determine program effectiveness by examining processes and outcomes to ascertain program success in accomplishing initial targeted goals and will aid in the development of a comprehensive understanding of assets and limitations of the current program function with the ultimate goal of justifying program continuation. Background: Addiction consult services can potentially decrease readmissions and utilization costs for medical systems for those with substance use disorders, as well as improve substance-related outcomes for patients. With grant funding through the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS), Prisma Health launched the Inpatient Addiction Medicine Consult Team in June of 2021, intending to provide more comprehensive care to hospitalized patients with co-occurring substance use disorders. Methods: This program evaluation used the CDC Framework for Program Evaluation as a guide and employed a descriptive design with quantitative methods to evaluate selected organizational processes and outcomes of the Inpatient Addiction Medicine Consult Service at Greenville Memorial Hospital and Richland Memorial Hospital from June 1, 2021, through August 31, 2022. Results: The Inpatient Addiction Consult Service successfully launched a hospital-based addiction evaluation and treatment team and conducted over 700 consults within the first year. IACT did not meet the 30-day engagement target of 70%; however, engagement targets at both the 60- and 180-day marks were both exceeded. Healthcare utilization was documented for patients and included emergency department presentation, readmission, and vital status within 30 days of discharge. Additionally, the teams tracked testing, treatment initiation, and linkage to care for patients with HIV and HCV. The team participated in numerous speaking engagements, presented a grand rounds series, and hosted 64 diverse learners. Conclusions: The Inpatient Addiction Consult Service developed growth and sustainability plans submitted along with requests for the second year of funding. The program evaluation demonstrated a strong growth trajectory and commitment to excellence in care delivery.