The term “level of care” refers to the intensity of treatment service. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), the most effective addiction treatment is provided through the following five levels of care, which exist on a continuum (“continuum of care”):
Level 0.5: Prevention and Early Intervention: For individuals at risk of developing substance abuse issues, this level of care might include individual counseling, utilization of screening tools, Employee Assistance Programs, etc.
Level 1: Outpatient Services: Non-residential services such as individual or group therapy, psychoeducation, family therapy, nursing services, medication management, medication assisted treatment, lab/toxicology services, etc.
Level 2: Intensive Outpatient Program or Partial Hospitalization Program: These services provide more intensive treatment—still on an outpatient basis—that allows clients to continue to tend to obligations with work, school, family, etc.
Level 3: Residential or Inpatient Program: This level of care provides 24-hour supportive living that is staffed by addiction treatment/mental health professionals as well as general medical personnel.
Level 4: Intensive Inpatient Services: Also called Medically Managed Inpatient Services, this level of care provides round-the-clock nursing care and daily physician care as well as access to counseling.
ASAM identifies the following six dimensions to consider when determining each client’s level of care:
- Acute intoxication/withdrawal risk (e.g., addiction history or current substance use)
- Medical conditions/complications (e.g., seizures or current smoker)
- Emotional, behavioral or cognitive conditions and complications (e.g., anxiety/depression, coping skills or history of self-harm)
- Readiness to change
- Relapse, continued use or continued problem potential (e.g., risk for continued substance abuse, level of personal insight or prior experience with medication-assisted treatment)
- Recovery/living environment (e.g., strength of support system or legal mandates)
The most effective addiction treatment is tailored to the individual’s needs, which is reflected by offering a continuum of care. That’s why First Step Recovery starts each client’s recovery journey with a thorough assessment of the dimensions above in order to match the client with an appropriate level of care.
If you need addiction treatment, the compassionate, knowledgeable professionals at First Step Recovery can help. Call 330.369.8022 today!
