Three central intake sites provide rapid assessment, referral, and care management. Project operations are supported by a centralized information system, providing business and clinical records applications and slot management and client tracking in a network of 30 providers. A PC-based comprehensive assessment instrument, providing a diagnosis and level of care recommendation and a narrative summary, is also available. These systems also provide research data for local and national Target Cities evaluation efforts and promote local readiness for managed care technology. A telecommunications system also assists in the management of client care.
Systems development is described and lessons learned are offered.
The Dallas Target Cities Project, the Dallas Safety Net, links two intake agencies with thirteen treatment providers to offer a comprehensive range of substance abuse treatment services. Using a Lotus Notes platform with its data replication approach, the MIS links these agencies together providing assessment, case management, referral, and billing services. In addition to describing the development and structure of the system the lesson we learned while creating a integrated system are discussed. The Detroit Target City project was developed on a previously existing central intake system. The management information system, developed using a terminal-host model with a character based user interface, supports client treatment matching, treatment slot management, and case management tools.