Development and use of information systems in the Cleveland target cities demonstration project

SUMMARY The Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board of Cuyahoga County (Cleveland, Ohio) implemented a five-year Target Cities project in 1993 funded by the federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. 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 recommendationand a narrative summaryis 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 telecommunicationssystem also assists in the management of client care. Systems development is described and lessons learned are offered.