If you’ve ever had the task of deciding upon which treatment center you should admit your friend or loved one, you already know how burdensome that process can be. Many issues need to be considered before you decide which facillity to select.

Preliminarily, cost of treatment and geograhic location of the facility are among the first items to be decided. You also need to know about the range of services provided by the treatment center. Do they treat dual diagnosis patients, offer family programs, have a medical staff, use a 12 step approach to recovery, etc.

The point is that it is very important to match the patient as best you can with the treatment facility to maximize the treatment process.

When investigating the treatment facilities, be prepared to provide elementary data to the admissions representative. Sometimes the most basic of information will help both parties determine if a treatment match is even possible.

For instance, you might have heard that XYZ Treatment facility has an excellent reputation in the recovery community. You feel it will be a perfect match for your 40 year old male alcoholic friend. You call them up and after a few minutes on the phone realize they only treat teenage, female opiate addicts.

To help the admissions representative better understand your needs, it will be useful to have the following information available:

Male/female
Age
Drug of choice
Health issues
Legal issues

Once you’ve provided some initial background information, you may be asked for further details.

Prior treatment history
Prescribed medications
Employment/schooling status
How drugs are administered, how much. last used
Resistance/denial to treatment

If you plan to use medical insurance to cover part of the treatment expense, at some point you will be asked to furnish policy number, group number, the patients social security number, address, date of birth, and the phone nuber of the insurance company. Many treatment centers have personnel standing by to make calls to the insurance company to verify coverage and determine benefits.

Determining which treatment center is best for your loved one is a critical decision and can be difficult and time consuming. Both you and the treatment facility will need to exchange information covering many issues. If you arm yourself with basic information, you’ll streamline the process and make your job much easier.