The study, a randomized trial conducted among 563 people with alcohol and other drug dependence at a Boston, Mass., hospital-based primary care practice. Participants were recruited from September 2006 to September 2008 from a freestanding residential detoxification unit and referrals from an urban teaching hospital and advertisements.
 
Study participants were selected at random to receive CCM (282 participants) or not to receive CCM (281 participants). Chronic care management included care coordinated with a primary care clinician; motivational enhancement therapy; relapse prevention counseling; on-site medical care; and psychiatric treatment. The no CCM (control) group received only a primary care appointment and a list of treatment resources, including a telephone number, to arrange counseling.
 
The study found no significant difference in abstinence from opioids, stimulants, or heavy drinking between the CCM  and control groups. It also found no significant differences in secondary outcomes of addiction severity, health-related quality of life, or drug problems. However, the CCM group did have somewhat fewer alcohol problems.