An organizational analysis of psychosocial and medical services in outpatient drug abuse treatment programs

Substance abuse programs do not universally comply with standards encouraging the provision of supplemental social, mental health, and medical services. Using a nationally representative panel study of outpatient treatment organizations, I examine the relationships between provision of these services and internal and external elements of the organizational context. Actors in the organizational environment such as funders, regulators, and accrediting bodies were particularly important, but their exact relationships to service provision varied across services. Other relationships between organizational elements and service provision also varied across services. Policies regarding compliance with standards should account for the complex role that organizational context plays.