{"slug":"westat-builds-machine-learning-models-to-triage-samhsa-s-drug-abuse-warning-network-emergency-department-data","url":"https://findausecase.com/use-cases/westat-builds-machine-learning-models-to-triage-samhsa-s-drug-abuse-warning-network-emergency-department-data","title":"Westat builds machine learning models to triage SAMHSA's Drug Abuse Warning Network emergency department data","description":"For SAMHSA's Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) study, which collects data from 50 hospitals across the United States, Westat developed ML models to review and route emergency department records, assigning a probability score for whether a visit is in scope for DAWN and its likely category. The models are retrained periodically, producing high-quality DAWN data without relying on human review of every case.","company":"Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) - DAWN","industry":"Healthcare","country":"United States","aiCapabilities":["Machine Learning","Predictive Analytics"],"deployment":"Unknown","problemStatement":"SAMHSA's DAWN study collects data from 50 hospitals across the United States and requires continuous review of emergency department records to identify key data elements in drug- and alcohol-related visits, while keeping data quality high and costs low.","solutionApproach":"Westat developed machine learning models that review and route DAWN data to expert reviewers, assigning each emergency department visit a probability score for whether it is in scope for DAWN and its likely category. The models are retrained periodically to increase their efficiency.","businessValue":"The result is that DAWN data are of very high quality without relying on human review of every case.","evidence":{"band":"high"},"sourceUrl":"https://www.westat.com/machine-learning-nlp/","dates":{"publishedAt":"2026-08-17T00:32:57.901Z","publishedAtSource":"ledger","updatedAt":"2026-08-18T13:47:06.294Z"},"license":"Open for reading and citing with a link to https://findausecase.com/use-cases/westat-builds-machine-learning-models-to-triage-samhsa-s-drug-abuse-warning-network-emergency-department-data. Bulk republication requires permission."}