N-SSATS 2021 Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

2021 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS)

Attachment B9   N-SSATS 2021 Frequently Asked Questions sheet

1. We do not provide substance use treatment services at this location. Do we still need to complete the questionnaire? Yes, we still need to hear from you so we can update our records. However, the number of questions you will be asked is minimal.

2. This facility is privately owned. We don’t get any Federal, State, or local funds. Should we participate in the survey? Yes, it is very important to have information about all substance use treatment providers so that we can properly describe our national substance abuse treatment network, including service availability.

3. Is it mandatory that I complete this survey? Your participation is very important. Because the N‑SSATS is the most comprehensive source of data on alcohol and drug use treatment facilities in the nation, policymakers at local, State, and Federal levels use information from the N‑SSATS to determine the extent of services available and what new or expanded services may be needed. Facilities that respond to the survey and are approved for inclusion by their State Substance Abuse Agency are listed in SAMHSA’s online Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator, which can be found at: https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov.

4. Another facility in our organization will report our information in their questionnaire. Do we need to do anything? Yes, we do need to hear from you! Section A of the 2021 N‑SSATS questionnaire is designed to collect information about the services offered at each individual facility. Even if another facility is providing information on the number of clients in treatment at this facility, every facility should answer Section A of the questionnaire for itself.

5. My facility’s information is the same as last year; why can’t you use that information? Here is some good news! If you completed the 2020 N‑SSATS, your responses to questions that typically do not change from year to year will be prefilled in the online questionnaire. All you need to do for these questions is check them, correct if necessary, and click the Submit button. Enclosed in the packet you received in the mail is a pink flyer that provides the Internet address and your facility’s unique user ID and password, which are required to access your facility’s questionnaire on the Internet.

6. My organization has multiple facilities that participate in the N-SSATS, can I complete multiple web surveys at once? Yes! If you are responsible for completing the N-SSATS for more than one location, you can now complete multiple web surveys at the same time.

7. Will I be able to go back and change answers? Yes, you will see a button to update your answers and have the ability to jump back and update previously-answered questions, even if you have left the session and logged off. You will be able to go back in and make corrections until you click on the final submit button and receive your confirmation number.

8. Is alcohol treatment considered substance abuse treatment for the N‑SSATS? Yes.

9. Our facility offers treatment to clients in their homes. It doesn’t seem to fit into any of the categories listed in the N‑SSATS—hospital inpatient, residential, or outpatient. What should I do? Home-based programs such as yours are becoming more common. Although you may not consider home-based treatment to be regular outpatient treatment, please count it as such for the purpose of the survey.

10. Our facility offers telemedicine/telehealth to clients; how should this be reported and what modes of service does this include? Telemedicine/telehealth programs are growing approaches to substance use treatment involving electronic communication between facility and client. This “remote” technological approach includes the use of email, Internet, Web, mobile, interactive video, patient portals and desktop programs. Although you may not consider telemedicine/telehealth to be regular outpatient treatment, please count it as such for the purpose of the survey.

11. If I report client counts for multiple facilities, how do I report which facilities I am including? There are two ways that you can report your additional facilities in the online survey: (1) you may enter each facility that you are reporting for through the web survey, which involves entering or selecting the facility name, location address, and facility phone number, or (2) you may request that Mathematica Policy Research call you for the list of additional facilities.

12. Where can I find more information about terms used in the N‑SSATS? Definitions for some of the terms used in the N‑SSATS can be found at https://info.nssats.com. You can also call the N‑SSATS helpline at 1‑888‑324‑8337.

13. How do I achieve the best online experience? Although all browsers are supported, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari offer the best experience completing the online survey. When using a mobile device, it is recommended that you view the screen horizontally (landscape orientation).