Practice Management
Private Practice
ASAM offers resources that addiction specialist physicians and other clinicians need in private practice.
Private Practice
How to Prepare for a DEA Office Inspection
ASAM members who have a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration to prescribe buprenorphine/naloxone or buprenorphine setting may be inspected by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The DEA is authorized, per the Controlled Substances Act, to inspect any DATA-waivered physicians. The DEA will inspect a DATA-waivered physician every 15 years from when they are approved to prescribe buprenorphine, with the first inspection usually taking place within the first 3 years after they are initially waivered. If a physician applies for a higher patient limit then that 15 year inspection period renews from the date their higher limit is approved and they will likely be inspected again within the first 3 years after their patient increase.
The ASAM Standards of Care
The Standards of Care for the Addiction Specialist Physician (The Standards) address the unique responsibilities borne by a physician who manages or oversees the care of a patient with addiction and related disorders. They are intended to support quality improvement activities conducted by health care provider systems, health care quality entities, medical specialty certification boards, and by individual physicians monitoring their own performance in their own practices.
The ASAM Performance Measures
The ASAM Performance Measures for the Addiction Specialist Physician were designed to evaluate physician performance against the ASAM Standards of Care. The Panel which created these performance measures used a consensus-decision making process for the selection of specific measures for evaluation.
Payer Issue Reporting Form
Please use this form to report payer issues that you have encountered that you think the ASAM staff should know about.
Pharmacy Access Survey
Please use this survey to report any issues with pharmacies that you have encountered that you think ASAM staff should know about.
Telehealth Resources
The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen a surge in the use of telehealth1to treat patients with substance use disorder (SUD). Telehealth has proved to be a valuable resource for patients and clinicians who have been challenged by the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, regulatory flexibilities have allowed more patients struggling with SUD, including opioid use disorder (OUD), and their clinicians to use telehealth as a means for addiction medication initiation and receipt of related care.
Policy Brief
This policy brief is a synopsis of important statutes and regulations governing telehealth at the federal and state level, as well as a synopsis of ASAM and State Chapter advocacy actions to expand coverage and access to addiction treatment via telehealth.