The Effectiveness of Ultra-Low Magnitude Reinforcers: Findings From a “Real-World” Application of Contingency Management

Abstract Background Research has consistently found contingency management (CM) to be an effective tool in increasing desired patient behaviors in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Despite the strong evidence for the effectiveness of this intervention, practical issues and the cost of implementing CM in treatment programs have been significant barriers to adoption. Objectives To evaluate the impact of a CM program designed and implemented by university-affiliated methadone clinic staff to increase patient group attendance. The CM program consisted of a weekly raffle for patients attending clinician-led group counseling and/or in-clinic Methadone Anonymous (MA) groups in which slips with patient ID#s were entered and one ID slip was drawn per week with a fee credit for a dose of methadone ($15) as the prize. Methods The CM program continued for 12 months. Group attendance was tracked before, during, and after CM implementation as part of ongoing clinic service utilization monitoring. Results Following the implementation of CM, attendance at any clinician-led or MA groups increased significantly from baseline to month 1 (X 2 =5.78, p 2 =20.27, p 2 =11.21, p 2 =14.73; p Conclusions A low-cost, simple CM intervention implemented by clinic staff was associated with significant increases in the target behavior of increasing group attendance.