HHS Announces Imminent Expansion of Access to MAT US Department of Health and Human Services Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced last week that HHS will move to expand access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) by revising the regulations related to the prescribing of buprenorphine to treat opioid dependence. She also announced $1.8 million in awards to rural communities to expand access to naloxone – a drug that reverses an opioid overdose.
Editorial Comments – Drug Culture Sensitivity William Haning, MD, FASAM, DFAPA Citizens who use drugs (CWUD) form at least one, and more probably multiple subcultures. It is easy to want to take issue with this statement, complaining that it demeans the notion of culture. But the concept is not unique, that CWUDs have things in common other than simply pathology…
FREE Online CME/CE Tools for Motivational Interviewing
NIDA is offering 2 FREE CME opportunities for Motivational Interviewing. These online simulations guide providers of adult and adolescent patients through MI skills-building with real time testing in a clinical setting.
Effects of a Randomized Comprehensive Psychosocial Intervention Based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Theory and Motivational Interviewing Techniques Journal of Addiction Medicine (free ASAM member resource) China is faced with the challenge of community rehabilitation of persons with opioid use disorders. A 1-year comprehensive psychosocial intervention (CPI) was developed, and its effectiveness was assessed in terms of its ability to improve community rehabilitation of persons with opioid use disorders after their release from detention in compulsory treatment centers in Shanghai, China. The outcome was favorable for mental health and quality of life, but drug usage appears to have been unaffected. The treatment regimes did not include opioid agonist therapy (OAT)/medication-assisted treatment (MAT).
Treating your patients just got a whole lot easier with Stratus EMR. From consolidated patient histories and robust treatment notes to e‑prescriptions with seamless authorizations, we don’t JUST save you time and money, we ensure the security and quality of care your patients deserve.
Latest Findings from AHRQ on Pharmacotherapy for Adults with Alcohol-Use Disorders Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality A new resource from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) summarizes the effectiveness and harms of medications for adults with AUDs, highlighting two medications shown to be most effective in reducing a patient’s drinking behavior when paired with psychological treatment: acamprosate and oral naltrexone (50 mg/day). This is a short-course free CME offering (1.0 hour).
A Jointly Sponsored Food Addiction Conference and
Toolkit for Physicians, Dietitians, Therapists and Other Health Professionals
The UMass Department of Psychiatry and the Food Addiction Institute are jointly sponsoring this important conference focusing on screening, diagnosing, and treating food addiction. Learn practical methods and leave with practical resources.
The conference will be held at the Medical School Campus in Worcester, MA on Friday, October 16
Got Drugs? Time for National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day! Office of Diversion Control The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications: September 26, 2015 (Pennsylvania & Delaware held these events 12 September).
Empowering Patients with Persistent Pain Using an Internet-based Self-Management Program Pain Management Nursing The purpose of this randomized, controlled trial was to determine the effectiveness of the Chronic Pain Management Program, an 8-week online intervention targeting cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and social pain determinants. Program efficacy and engagement was evaluated for 92 individuals with a diagnosis of chronic noncancer pain who had a current opioid prescription. Quantitative outcomes are not evident from the abstract.
The Effects of Dronabinol During Detoxification and the Initiation of Treatment with Extended Release Naltrexone Drug and Alcohol Dependence The outcomes of this trial are likely to meet with a mixed reaction in the treatment community: Opioid dependent participants were randomized to receive dronabinol 30 mg/d (n = 40) or placebo (n
= 20), under double-blind conditions, while they underwent inpatient detoxification and naltrexone induction. Before discharge all participants received an injection of XR-naltrexone, with an additional dose given four weeks later. Dronabinol or placebo was given while inpatient and for 5 weeks afterwards. The primary outcomes were the severity of opioid withdrawal, measured with the Subjective Opioid Withdrawal Scale, and retention in treatment at the end of the inpatient phase and at the end of the 8-week trial. …Dronabinol reduced the severity of opiate withdrawal during acute detoxification but had no effect on rates of XR-naltrexone treatment induction and retention. Participants who elected to smoke marijuana during the trial were more likely to complete treatment regardless of treatment group assignment.
Telephone-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Telephone-Delivered Nondirective Supportive Therapy for Rural Older Adults with Generalized Anxiety Disorder JAMA Psychiatry This study provided a comparison of interpersonal therapies and a test of telephone therapy efficacy, in a rural population of 141 ages 60 years or greater. The outcomes were favorable. Telephone-delivered CBT consisted of as many as 11 sessions (9 were required) focused on recognition of anxiety symptoms, relaxation, cognitive restructuring, the use of coping statements, problem solving, worry control, behavioral activation, exposure therapy, and relapse prevention, with optional chapters on sleep and pain. Telephone-delivered NST consisted of 10 sessions focused on providing a supportive atmosphere in which participants could share and discuss their feelings and did not provide any direct suggestions for coping.
Feds Approve California’s Medi-Cal Addiction Treatment Waiver Open Minds On August 14, 2015, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) announced the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) had approved the state’s Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS) waiver. California is the first state in the nation to receive federal approval of an ODS waiver. Through the waiver, DHCS will establish regional continuums of care for Medicaid addiction treatment to provide services not typically covered by Medicaid, ranging from early intervention, intensive outpatient, to residential treatment.
Evaluation of an Initiative to Spread the Collaborative Care Model for Depression in Primary Care Annals of Family Medicine Patient satisfaction may not invariably correlate with improved treatment outcomes. Despite the incentive of a supporting payment change and intensive training and support for clinics volunteering to participate, no difference in depression outcomes was documented in this study of a uniform treatment protocol initiated across 75 state clinics. Specific unmeasured actions present in trials but not present in these clinics may be critical for successful outcome improvement.
Ravages of Heroin Addiction Haunt Friends, Families and Whole Towns National Public Radio In Marion, Ohio — once a thriving steel town — the trouble arrived around 2007, when the police started seeing balloons of heroin during routine traffic stops. Since then, heroin has changed many lives in Marion.
ASAM Distinguished Fellows: A Change in Levels of Recognition ASAM Every two years, ASAM offers members the opportunity to apply for Fellow status. The 2015 cycle will mark the shift of the Fellows award to the Distinguished Fellows award. In April 2015, the Board of Directors voted to take the current Fellow title and turn it into a membership category while the current Fellow award will change to Distinguished Fellow. Members who already hold the Fellow title will automatically become a Distinguished Fellow in 2016.
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