ASAM Criteria
Free Paper-Based ASAM Criteria Assessment Interview Guide
Developed by ASAM and the UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs with funding from the California Department of Health Care Services, this addiction treatment resource supports increased quality and consistency of patient assessments and individualized, patient-centered care.
Download Read Announcement
The ASAM Criteria® Assessment Interview Guide is the first publicly available standardized version of the ASAM Criteria assessment. With this release, ASAM and UCLA hope to increase the quality and consistency of patient assessments and treatment recommendations. This resource can also help assist states looking to facilitate continuity and consistency in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment delivery and coverage.
Because it is paper-based, offered free to all clinicians, and can be used in many different clinical contexts, the Guide enhances the public utility of The ASAM Criteria’s multidimensional assessment approach for the addiction treatment community.
What is the ASAM Criteria®
The ASAM Criteria defines the standards for conducting a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment to inform patient placement and treatment planning. These standards describe six dimensions that should be assessed, including:
- Acute intoxication and/or withdrawal potential
- Biomedical conditions and complications
- Emotional, behavioral, and cognitive conditions and complications
- Readiness to change
- Relapse, continued use, or continued problem potential
- Recovery/living environment
The ASAM Criteria also provides standards for rating the patient’s risks in each dimension and dimensional admission criteria for determining the least intensive, but safe level of care for meeting the patient’s individual treatment needs.
Resources
- UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs
- Speaking the Same Language: A Toolkit for Strengthening Patient-Centered Addiction Care in the United States
- ASAM Criteria Courses
- ASAM Criteria book
Project Team
UCLA
- Anne B. Lee, LCSW
- Cheryl Teruya, PhD
- Darren Urada, PhD
- Elise Tran, BA
- Larissa Mooney, MD
- Tom Freese, PhD
- Valerie P Antonini, MPH
ASAM
- David Mee Lee, MD, DFASAM
- David Gastfriend, MD, DFASAM
- Corey Waller, MD, MS, FACEP, DFASAM
- Anna Pagano, PhD
Please provide feedback on the Guide at asamcriteria@asam.org.
