Study: Cutting Paperwork Saves Addiction Programs Time, Money

Joint research conducted by an addiction treatment program and a state addiction agency found that providers could cut out up to six hours of unnecessary paperwork per patient without compromising patient care or administration needs.

Researcher Deni Carise, Ph.D., of the Treatment Research Institute and colleagues said that paperwork related to a typical inpatient stay could be cut by four to six hours, including two to three hours at intake and assessment, one to two hours during the course of treatment, and 40 to 60 minutes at discharge.

Replacing old paperwork requirements with more streamlined procedures also can facilitate new data-collection routines, the authors noted.

The study appears online in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.