The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently issued an advisory on Expanding Access to Methadone Treatment in Hospital Settings. The advisory is intended for hospitals and associated healthcare facilities and offers best practices for implementing and expanding access to methadone for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) in hospital settings. Specifically, the advisory outlines evidence-based strategies for expanding access to methadone treatment, including routine screening for substance use disorder (SUD), establishing in-hospital consultation services, integrating medical and SUD care, and developing partnerships with community providers to ensure continuity of care. The advisory offers a detailed framework organized by four key areas:
- “Delivering Evidence-Based Care
- Implementing Clinical Services
- Quality Measurement and Program Success
- Ensuring Program Sustainability”
Each section offers specific recommendations on clinical protocols, care coordination, and multidisciplinary approaches, as well as strategies to evaluate and sustain hospital-based OUD treatment programs.
The advisory can be downloaded in full, here.