Assessing the Effectiveness of Recovery-Oriented ACT in Reducing State Psychiatric Hospital Use

In 2007, Washington State launched a network of recovery-oriented assertive community treatment (ACT) teams. The goal was to lower use of the state’s two psychiatric hospitals. The first three articles in the April issue report findings from an evaluation of this initiative. ACT participants spent 32 fewer days per year in the state hospital, with savings of about $11,000 to $13,000 per person per year. Reductions were largest immediately after ACT enrollment and tapered to insignificance at 27 months. Team fidelity to the original ACT model was measured with a recently developed instrument. Clients of the highest-scoring teams were no less likely to be hospitalized, but their inpatient stays were shorter.