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First Addiction Treatment Programs Achieve ASAM Level of Care Certification
Rockville, MD (May 29, 2019) - The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) today announced that seven addiction treatment programs are the first to achieve ASAM Level of Care certification following the successful completion of Phase One of the ASAM Level of Care certification pilot.
The ASAM Level of Care certification, created in partnership with CARF International (CARF), provides an independent, comprehensive assessment of an addiction treatment program’s capacity to deliver services consistent with the Levels of Care described in The ASAM Criteria®. The certification will help patients and payers identify treatment programs that are capable of delivering evidence-based care.
CARF awarded certification to seven addiction treatment programs. Geisinger Marworth in Waverly, Pennsylvania and Origins Behavioral HealthCare of Florida, LLC, in West Palm Beach, Florida received certification for ASAM Level of Care 3.7. Asana Recovery in Costa Mesa, California; Volunteers of America Mid-States’ Freedom House in Louisville, Kentucky; Pyramid Healthcare’s Hillside Inpatient in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania; Richard J. Caron Foundation (Caron Treatment Center) in Wernersville, Pennsylvania; and Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana’s Theodora House in Indianapolis, Indiana received certification for ASAM Level of Care 3.5. All certified treatment programs—including pilot programs—will be listed in a publicly available database by searching “ASAM” at http://carf.org/providerSearch.aspx.
“Today marks an important milestone in ASAM’s efforts to standardize the delivery of addiction treatment care across the nation,” said Paul H. Earley, MD, DFASAM, and president of ASAM. “As we navigate the addiction epidemic, it has become clear that the current health system needs meaningful, relevant, and consistent national standards for the treatment of this chronic brain disease. The standards applied through the ASAM Level of Care Certification are a crucial component of ASAM’s mission to transform the addiction treatment landscape.”
The ASAM Criteria, with over three decades of research, is the nation’s most respected, comprehensive, and widely used set of standards for providing outcome-oriented care in addiction treatment. Used by clinicians and payers, The ASAM Criteria helps providers match patients’ needs to the correct Level of Care based on their disease severity and multidimensional needs. Initially, the ASAM Level of Care certification will be available for adult residential treatment programs, specifically ASAM Levels of Care 3.1., 3.5, and 3.7.
The purpose of the first phase of the pilot was to test the ratable certification elements and certification process, including the proprietary scoring methodology. Phase Two of the pilot, starting this summer, will test enhancements made to the ratable elements and certification process, based on the results of Phase One. Approximately 30 additional programs will be evaluated in Phase Two, promoting the accuracy and efficiency of the certification process in a wider variety of settings and situations, including diverse program locations, sizes, payer mix, regulatory environments, and accreditation status. In addition, it will evaluate the process for certifying a single program for multiple levels of care.
CARF and ASAM anticipate announcing the national launch of the ASAM Level of Care certification by the end of the year. Upon launch, ASAM will offer trainings and publications to help treatment programs prepare for certification and strengthen their capacity to deliver evidence-based care in alignment with The ASAM Criteria standards.
Visit www.ASAMcertification.org to learn more about the ASAM Level of Care certification and www.ASAM.org to learn more about The ASAM Criteria and addiction.
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About The ASAM Criteria®
The ASAM Criteria is the nation’s most widely used and comprehensive set of guidelines for placement, continued stay, and transfer/discharge of patients with addiction and co-occurring conditions. Utilized by clinicians and payers across all care settings, the use of The ASAM Criteria is required in more than 30 states. Addiction treatment programs use the criteria to conduct a multi-dimensional patient assessment over five broad levels of treatment that are based on the degree of direct medical management provided, the structure, safety and security provided, and the intensity of treatment services provided. The criteria focus on six dimensions of patient care to create a holistic, biopsychosocial assessment of an individual. This assessment is used for service planning and treatment across all services and levels of care. Learn more at https://www.asam.org/resources/the-asam-criteria