: A Focused Update of the ASAM National Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder is published in the current issue of the Journal of Addiction Medicine. The focused update included a search of Medline's PubMed database from January 1, 2014 to September 27, 2018, as well as a search of the grey literature (archives of the Clinical Guideline Clearinghouse, and key agency and society websites) for new practice guidelines and relevant systematic reviews addressing the use of medications and psychosocial treatments in the treatment of opioid use disorder, including within special populations. The search identified 11 practice guidelines and 35 systematic reviews that informed the subsequent RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method (RAM) process employed to facilitate the focused update by a National Guideline Committee of addiction experts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: ASAM's Standards of Care for the Addiction Specialist established appropriate care for the treatment of substance use disorders. ASAM identified three high priority performance measures for specification and testing for feasibility in various systems using administrative claims: use of pharmacotherapy for alcohol use disorder (AUD); use of pharmacotherapy for opioid use disorder (OUD); and continuity of care after withdrawal management services. This study adds to the initial testing of these measures in the Veteran's Health Administration (VHA) by testing the feasibility of specifications in commercial insurance data (Cigna).
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