Louisiana is joining a pilot program that will give those seeking addiction treatment the ability to see the “ratings” of a treatment facility on a range of different services they provide. State health department spokesperson Bob Johannessen says Shatterproof will fill in prospective patients on the facility’s capabilities, compared to their needs.
“What are the most appropriate services and treatments for a person with a substance abuse disorder? What diagnoses do the individuals have? Do they need to be assessed? What kind of care do they need?”
Johannessen says the ratings are Yelp like, but not determined by online, public participation. The Office of Behavioral Health will work with Shatterproof to determine the ratings.
Participation in the rating system from addiction treatment centers is voluntary, but Johannessen says chose to participate likely are doing so for a good reason.
“The providers who are interested are those who believe that they offer good services, and they are looking forward to having a high rating.”
Johannessen says addiction is a difficult struggle, but having this kind of information available will make at least one part of the recovery process easier to handle.
The pilot program will last two years, and includes New York and Massachusetts.
“They are having to make a lot of decisions, many of them daunting. So to have an opportunity for them and their loved ones to go online and get a rating is one less tough choice that they have to make.”
The rating system is projected to go online in 2020.
