The Role of Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Software in the Future of Healthcare

The need for the assessment of substance abuse evaluation is crucial to identify underlying issues, substance abuse history, co-occurring disorders, medical conditions and behavioral health treatment history.These individuals do not suffer consequences as a result of their alcohol or drug use immediately but tend to suffer in the long run in the areas of relationships, health, legal, or occupational issues.

A substance abuse evaluation can be an eye opener for many.

It helps in educating the individual and their family members on the extent of that individual's actual problem.

Usually strong professional treatments and therapy sessions are recommended to such individuals and have been proven to be a turning point with their substance/alcohol or drug issue.

To reap the maximum benefits of treatment, the highest level of accountability is required and expected of the client and a strong peer to peer support network often ensures the same.There are some legal situations wherein substance abuse evaluation becomes mandatory such as:Driving While Ability ImpairedDWAI Driving Under the Influence (DUI)Custody disputeArrest for other crimes where the individual was intoxicatedSometimes concerned friends or family members may also request for substance abuse evaluation in cases like:Parents of dependent or non dependent child who suspect alcohol and/or drug use in their childrenA spouseAdults who are suspecting increased substance/drug/alcohol usage in their parentsIn some rare cases, employers also seek for evaluation of their employees in cases like:High absenteeismErratic behavior in any employeeFrequent and unpredictable mood swingsComing to work intoxicated which is the most common oneDrinking on the jobPositive random drug screens to ensure healthy work environment There are several types of Assessments as well-Substance use assessment (usually utilized for court cases that need of alcohol/ drug evaluation)Drug Free Workplace evaluationDOT SAP EvaluationSubstance Use EvaluationBasic information gathered during an alcohol and drug evaluation includes:DemographicsFamily backgroundSocial historyOccupational historyLegal historyMedical historyMental health historySubstance use history and patternsObservation for mood, behavior and mental statusRisk assessmentHere we have shared some of the most common recommendations after assessment as well which the individual might get after assessment.

These recommendations will vary from individual to individual based on the level of severity of the case.No Services needed at this timeMonitoring for further assessmentOutpatient Education ServicesCommunity Support GroupsIndividual Outpatient CounselingGroup TherapyIntensive Outpatient Program (IOP)Partial Hospitalization or Day TreatmentDetoxificationInpatient TreatmentIf you would like to have a thorough meeting, make sure you connect with us.

Here is the short answer; you are legally required to remove that employee for safety purposes.

An employee does not have to pay for evaluation or treatment but they can’t put your employee back on the job site until he/she completes the DOT Return to Duty process under the guidance of the SAP.Stand on a safety-sensitive function, the driver must complete the following return to duty step procedure in subparts.1.

They must be immediately removed from the duty by performing all the safety-sensitive functions.

It is completely based on labor-management agreements and healthcare benefits.3.

It is based on a clinical evaluation of the driver during face-to-face meetings.

The program ranges from outpatient to partial treatment or full-in patient resources.4.