Decreases in Employer Referrals to First-Time Substance Use Treatment for Adults From 2004 to 2020

Abstract

Objective Examine trends of employer/employee assistance program referred admissions to outpatient substance use disorder (SUD) treatment in the United States. Methods The publicly available Treatment Episode Data Set was used. Full-time employed adults with no history of SUD treatment referred to outpatient treatment by an employer/employee assistance program from 2004 to 2020 were included (N = 36,142). Joinpoint regression examined admission trends. Results Employer/employee assistance program referred admissions to outpatient treatment decreased annually by 6.4% from 2004 to 2020 (p < .001). Joinpoint analyses identified two linear segments from 2004 to 2008 (increased but not significant) and from 2008 to 2020. From 2008 to 2020, an average annual percent decrease of 8.7% (p < .001) was identified. Conclusions Findings from this repeated cross-sectional study suggest a missed opportunity for workplaces to serve as a potential SUD treatment access point.