Methodology

The third edition of the America‘s Best Addiction Treatment Centers ranking awards the leading addiction treatment centers in the U.S.

Facilities in the 25 states with the highest number of addiction treatment centers, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), were included in the survey. The states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin. The scope of facilities and states included in the survey are:

▸ Inpatient/residential and long-term addiction treatment centers were included in the ranking. Long-term programs required a minimum residency of 30 days. In a few selected cases, long-term was defined as a minimum residency of 28 days. Facilities that only offer outpatient or short-term addiction treatment services were excluded from the survey.

▸ The top 8-17% of facilities per state were awarded. This amount is based on the number of facilities within the specific state that meet the above-mentioned scope of requirements, and therefore varies by individual states.

The list is based on two data sources: a reputation score (which is composed of a recommendation score and a quality score which together are 80 percent of the total score) and an accreditation score (20 percent of the total score).

The Reputation Score

RECOMMENDATION SCORE

80 percent of total score is based on: Medical professionals and staff working in the management/administration of addiction treatment centers were asked to recommend leading addiction treatment centers in the U.S. From June to July 2022,

Newsweek and Statista invited over 4,000 medical professionals (therapists, counselors, medical doctors) and managers/administrators who work in addiction treatment facilities to an online survey. Participants were asked to recommend notable addiction treatment centers in their respective states. Recommendations for their own employers were not allowed.

Recommendations received different weights depending on the order in which they were given. Recommendations of addiction treatment centers that were stated as the best addiction treatment center in a state received a 33 percent higher weight than other recommended facilities.

Participants were also asked to assign a ranking position (e.g., Top 1, Top 2, Top 3, Top 5, Top 10, Top 20, Top 50) to addiction treatment centers.

The recommendation score is 85 percent of the reputation score.

QUALITY SCORE

For each recommended addiction treatment center participants were asked to rate four quality dimensions on a scale from 1 (“Poor”) to 10 (“Excellent”)

1. Quality of care (45 percent of quality score)

2. Quality of follow-up care (25 percent)

3. Quality of Service (15 percent)

4. Accommodation and Amenities (15 percent) The quality score is 15 percent of the reputation score.

ACCREDITATION SCORE

20 percent of total score is based on: Data on addiction treatment centers provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Nine types of accreditation were considered. Accreditation by each of the nine bodies was counted as 11 percent of the accreditation score. The accrediting bodies are:

1: State substance abuse agency

2: State mental health department

3: State department of health

4: Hospital licensing authority

5: The Joint Commission

6: Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities

7: National Committee for Quality Assurance

8: Council on Accreditation

9: Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program All data was up-to-date through May 25, 2022. Further information about the accreditations can be found at the websites of the accrediting bodies.

The rankings are composed exclusively of facilities that are eligible regarding the scope described in this document. The ranking is the result of an elaborate process which, due to the interval of data-collection and analysis, is a reflection of the last 12 months. Furthermore, events preceding or following the period July 19, 2021 to July 19, 2022 and/or pertaining to individual persons affiliated/associated to the facilities were not included in the metrics. As such, the results of this ranking should not be used as the sole source of information for future deliberations.

The information provided in this ranking should be considered in conjunction with other available information about addiction treatment centers or, if possible, accompanied by a visit to a facility. The quality of addiction treatment centers that are not included in the rankings is not disputed.