News
ASAM Comments on Senate HELP’s Opioid Crisis Response Act Underscore Need For Evidence-Based Practices in Prevention, Treatment and Recovery
ASAM Calls for Culture Change in Approach to Addiction Treatment;
Supports Comprehensive Response to Opioid Misuse, Addiction and Overdose Epidemic
Rockville, MD – In comments to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018, the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) today praised committee leadership for addressing the nation’s opioid addiction epidemic and offered legislative recommendations that would increase access to and improve the overall quality of addiction treatment.
In its recommendations, ASAM called on Congress to incorporate additional language into the bill that would facilitate the development of model standards for the regulation of substance use disorder treatments, implement nationally-recognized treatment certification programs, and eliminate the sunset date for nurse practitioner and physician assistant prescribing authority for medications to treat opioid use disorder.
ASAM emphasized that while deaths related to opioid addiction are making national headlines, the associated costs are a fraction of the total societal cost of substance misuse and addiction. Noting that the loss both in economic terms and in human lives in the U.S. is staggering, ASAM contends it “could be dramatically reduced by utilizing evidence-based substance misuse prevention practices and programs and by addressing untreated, and ineffectively treated, addiction in this country.”
In the comments, ASAM states, “There are many misconceptions about the disease of addiction, and we need a culture change in this country to drive patients to the treatment options that have been proven to be effective at reducing relapse and overdose deaths and supporting patients in remission and recovery. When it comes to addiction involving opioid use, the most effective treatment options involve the use of medications in combination with specific, psychosocial interventions to support remission and recovery and involve a certified addiction medicine specialist in the patient's care. When we say, ‘Treatment works,’ we are not referring to every approach that claims to be treatment. Rather, as physicians and other clinicians who specialize in the treatment of addiction, we are specifically referring to those interventions that have scientific evidence to support their effectiveness.”
ASAM’s comments focused on several areas including research, State Targeted Response Grants, Opioid Recovery Centers and programs to support the coordination and continuation of care for drug overdose patients.
To read ASAM’s comments in their entirety, click here.
About ASAM
The American Society of Addiction Medicine, founded in 1954, is a professional society representing over 5,000 physicians, clinicians, and associated professionals in the field of addiction medicine. ASAM is dedicated to increasing access and improving the quality of addiction treatment, educating physicians and the public, supporting research and prevention, and promoting the appropriate role of physicians in the care of patients with addiction. For more information, visit www.ASAM.org.