Achieving a 15% Relapse Rate: A Review of Collegiate Recovery and Physician Health Programs

Evidence from physician health programs (PHPs) suggest that long-term continuums of step-down care are effective at achieving at or near a 15% relapse rate. Parallel to the PHP model, evidence from collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) cite a relapse rate from year to year of 8%. The CRP and PHP models involve long-term, comprehensive components of care and ancillary services oriented toward highly transformative abstinence-based recovery. This article identifies factors between the two models that facilitate recovery and discusses the implications for future research.