Practical issues in the application of case management to substance abuse treatment

Interest in case management has grown in the substance abuse treatment field because of changes in the way we think about substance abuse, problems in the current delivery of treatment, subgroups of people have been identified who are unresponsive to currently available treatments or for whom special access problems are apparent. Case management is appealing because it involves accessing services and coordinating the care of individuals over long periods of time. This article briefly reviews the conduct of case management in substance abuse treatment by defining case management and discussing prevalent models, and then examining practical challenges faced in the implementation of case management.