Name
Balancing rigor and reality: Evaluating a New Contingency Management Program in a Community Health Setting
Description

Cascadia Health is a Certified Community Behavioral Health Center (CCBHC) and Federally Qualified Health Center Look-alike (FQHC LA) located in Portland, OR that serves individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) and substance use disorder (SUD). With funding and technical support from our primary Medicaid payor, Cascadia developed and tested a new Contingency Management (CM) program for individuals with active methamphetamine use (MeU). In this session we will share the evaluation stage of our CM pilot, including our approach to evaluating fidelity. Participants will actively engage in discussion around challenges of balancing rigor and reality of program evaluation in community healthcare and leave with strategies and tools they can apply in their healthcare setting.

Speakers
Allison Brenner, PhD, MPH
Co-Authors
Thais Kelly, Betsy Katz, Hannah Henrickson
Content Level
All Audience
Tags
Outcomes, Research and evaluation, Substance abuse management
Session Type
Concurrent
Objective 1
Select measurable outcome metrics to effectively evaluate a contingency management program implementation.
Objective 2
Develop a multi-method evaluation plan to evaluate a pilot program implemented by clinical staff in a busy community healthcare environment.
Objective 3
Analyze results of the evaluation of a pilot program to identify opportunities for program improvement, including enhancing fidelity in program effectiveness.
Content Reference 1

Calise, T. V., & Gardner, A. J. (2023). The contribution of implementation evaluation to the field of public health. Preventing Chronic Disease, 20, Article 230323. https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2023/23_0323.htm.

Content Reference 2

P.L. 117-328: Contingency Management for Substance Use Disorders. (2025, March 20). Contingency Management for Substance Use Disorders | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

Content Reference 3

Lussier JP, Heil SH, Mongeon JA, Badger GJ, Higgins ST. A meta-analysis of voucher-based reinforcement therapy for substance use disorders. Addiction. 2006 Feb;101(2):192-203. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2006.01311.x. PMID: 16445548.

Content Reference 4

Stitzer, M., Sweeney, M. M., & Cunningham, C. S. (2019). Contingency management for substance use disorders: Efficacy, implementation, and training. In UpToDate. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/contingency-management-for-substance-use-disorders-efficacy-implementation-and-training.

Content Reference 5

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2021). Using incentives in treatment programs for substance use disorders. https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Using-Incentives-in-Treatment-Programs-for-Substance-Use-Disorders/PEP21-06-01-001.