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Tags Posts tagged with "American Society of Addiction Medicine"

American Society of Addiction Medicine

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Effective January 1, 2020, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs will expand its approved curriculum to include online training through The Change Companies’ ASAM Criteria 2013 Edition E-learning modules. This newly approved training will be in addition to the already approved two-day in-person training on The ASAM Criteria, 2013. At that time, both training options will satisfy DDAP’s training requirement.

Important notes regarding these changes:

  • Individuals currently registered for a Train for Change two-day ASAM Criteria, 2013Skill Building classroom training, must fulfill their commitment to that training. De-registering from a currently scheduled two-day classroom training to take the online course in 2020 is prohibited. Course certificates for those individuals will not be honored. Additionally, the training hosts for these scheduled in-person trainings may charge cancellation fees, payable by the agency/individual.
  • Due to the ease of access and cost effectiveness of the E-Learning Module subscriptions, it will be the responsibility of the individual and/or their employer to coordinate and absorb associated costs of this training option.
  • For either ASAM Criteria, 2013training options, Single County Authorities (SCAs) may financially support their area providers with this training expense at their discretion and based upon the availability of funds. SCAs that have questions about the use of DDAP funds for The ASAM Criteria, 2013 trainings should contact their program officer in DDAP’s County Program Oversight Section.
  • Certificates are available for each of The ASAM Criteria, 2013training options. It is the responsibility of the individual and/or their employer to maintain those certificates for proof of course completion.
  • Certificates for online trainings completed prior to January 1, 2020, will not be recognized as valid for meeting DDAP requirements.

You can learn more about the approved curriculum here.

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As you know, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) is working hard to implement the new American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) criteria. Below is a brief summary of some of the plans for implementation and DDAP’s efforts to assist providers.

  1. The new deadline for having staff trained has been extended to December 31, 2018.
  2. The department is allowing ASAM trained supervisors to sign off on assessments done by staff that have not yet been trained.
  3. DDAP is encouraging SCAs and BHMCOs to help with training costs and the cost of downtime. End of the year adjustments have been mentioned most often as the method of covering these costs. DDAP is also working to ensure that if any SCAs have leftover funds, they will be directed to other counties that do not have any funds available to help providers.
  4. Providers are being permitted to use the Pennsylvania Client Placement Criteria (PCPC) until staff have received the ASAM training.
  5. The crosswalk document for ASAM/PCPC has been released, along with a new guidance document for the application of ASAM.
  6. Online training will be increasingly available after the initial transition period.
  7. DDAP is holding tight to the in-person training requirement; however, they have agreed to consider a waiver for online on a case-by-case basis. For example, if staff are part time and not able to take the in-person training due to other work commitments, online training will be considered.

From the recent RCPA D&A member survey, it was clear that extending the deadline and getting reimbursed for the costs/downtime were most important to members. RCPA will inform members if things are working as planned or not working. Please keep us posted on what is happening locally. Contact RCPA Drug & Alcohol Division Director Lynn Cooper with any questions.

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RCPA staff, and several members of the RCPA American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) implementation task force, met with Secretary Jen Smith and numerous DDAP staff to discuss concerns regarding the ASAM implementation. RCPA members are working hard to get appropriate staff trained in the new screening and assessment process.

  1. The in-person requirement has made it difficult and costly due to scheduling, limited training opportunities, and lost revenue from down time. RCPA has been researching the effectiveness of eLearning and continues advocating for allowing some staff to do the online training instead of the in-person training. RCPA has been charged to develop specific criteria for online training; the task force is in the process of doing just that.
  2. It is clear that all appropriate staff will not be trained by the official startup date of July 1, 2018. DDAP will be reviewing the progress in April and a new deadline will be determined.
  3. Supervisors that have had the ASAM training will be able to sign off for the counselors that have yet to be trained. It is important that the supervisors are first priority to be trained.
  4. DDAP is clearly aware of the barriers to training, such as costs of down time and the limited training availability at this time. DDAP has emphasized that there will be no negative consequences to providers due to the inability to get staff trained.
  5. There will be a Pennsylvania Client Placement Criteria (PCPC) summary sheet included with the Web Information Technology System (WITS) to help fill the gap until all appropriate staff are trained.
  6. RCPA has been strongly advocating for financial assistance to members to cover the training costs. After numerous discussions with state officials and behavioral health managed care organizations (BH-MCOs), oversight bodies, and single county authorities (SCAs), it is clear that all are aware of the need for financial assistance. One plan shared by several officials was that some SCAs will be considering providing assistance (including lost revenue from down time) to providers by making year end contract revisions, if funds are available. Several oversight bodies and BH-MCOs have already provided significant support for training and implementation and will continue to do so. All members experiencing problems getting staff trained are encouraged to contact their SCAs. If the SCA does not provide assistance, it is recommended that providers contact their BH-MCOs to request assistance.

DDAP is posting periodic FAQs to their website. If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact Lynn Cooper.

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From ASAM Weekly

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on November 17 that nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) can begin taking the 24 hours of required training to prescribe buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder. NPs and PAs who complete the required training and seek to prescribe buprenorphine for up to 30 patients will be able to apply to do so beginning in early 2017. HHS is also announcing its intent to initiate rulemaking to allow NPs and PAs who have prescribed at the 30-patient limit for one year to apply for a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine for up to 100 patients. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is working quickly with training providers to help them adapt curricula and obtain continuing education credits for this training. Updates on training information and the waiver application will be available on the SAMHSA and American Society of Addiction Medicine websites.

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