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Discussion Community Update

Whether you work at a methadone clinic, are a counselor, therapist, physician, advocate or a friend or family member of an addicted individual, you may at times have the need to help place a patient with a DATA-2000 certified physician who can prescribe buprenorphine for opioid addiction.This can be time consuming and frustrating, since less than 2% of US physicians are certified, only 60% of them are on the SAMHSA public locator and only about half of them are actually accepting patients, never mind trying to find one who accepts a particular insurance or can treat a co-occurring condition.

The PPMS (Patient Physician Matching System) can help. There you can submit a request for treatment on behalf of a patient and participating area physicians are instantly alerted via email. You only receive responses from physicians willing to help. This reduces time wasted fielding rejections, being placed on waiting lists, and it reaches some physicians not on the public locator. Physicians respond at all times of the day or night even on weekends and holidays.

It’s simple; you fill out the short questioner and use your email address. (for patients without an email address themselves) Each patient is assigned a PatientID number to ensure confidentiality. You will receive responses from doctors addressed to the Patient ID#. You can help select the most appropriate physician and call the patient with the good news. Over 18,000 patients have been contacted by at least one of the 2,300 participating physicians so far. We created a landing page especially for the matching system, see www.TreatmentMatch.org

TreatmentMatch.orgRegistration Page
Matching System FAQ
More detailed information

In addition to the matching system and the locator list, you may be lucky enough to have ongoing buprenorphine studies in your area, where patients can get top-notch care for free see www.Clinicaltrials.gov

Some methadone clinics also offer buprenorphine, but cannot prescribe, instead they must adhere to the same rules created for methadone which requires most patients to make daily visits to get their medication, at least initially. A list of clinics who indicated that they offer buprenorphine treatment exists here, however it is plagued with the same inaccuracies as the physician list.
www.naabt.org/local (bottom of the page)

Some physicians still don’t accept insurance for addiction treatment despite the fact that most insurers now reimburse at adequate rates. Patients with insurance can often submit claims themselves directly to their insurer. Cash payers should shop around because prices vary see: How do I know if I’m paying too much?

Addiction Survivors

NAABT endorses AddictionSurvivors.org

NAABT recommends online peer support as part of an overall treatment plan. Online peer support is not a replacement for other components of recovery, it is a tool to use in addition to them. AddictionSurvivors.org recently published a brochure describing the benefits of online peer support. Brochure: http://www.addictionsurvivors.org/documents/AddSurvBrochure.pdf

Addiction Survivors Peer Support Brochure

Peer support website: www.AddictionSurvivors.org

About Addiction Survivors. AddictionSurvivors.org is a not-for-profit organization (501c3 tax exempt status pending) dedicated to providing peer support communities for those with addiction disorders and their families and friends. The communities are funded in whole by individuals whose lives have been touched by addiction in one way or another.

Report of the Grand Jury for Baltimore CityBaltimore Grand Jury Report

In contrast to the mostly positive mediastories about buprenorphine, in 2007 there was a rash of negative stories published by the Baltimore Sun.

It was a series of stories apparently attempting to uncover big problems with buprenorphine, including diversion, misuse, and efficacy. It received quite a bit of attention, so much so the grand jury for Baltimore was convened to investigate, here's what they found:

http://www.baltimorehealth.org/info/
ReportoftheGrandJuryforBaltimoreCity.January2008.pdf

Buprenorphine TreatmentThe NAABT Patient/PhysicianMatching System (PPMS) – Connection Update.

The NAABT matching system has connected over 18,100 patients with at least one of the almost 2,400 participating certified physicians able to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid addiction. Put a button on your site to help others find the treatment they deserve! Click here.

NAABT.org

Patients and Prescribing Physicians. Patients and prescribing physicians can now order a free “in case of emergency” wallet card that alerts healthcare workers that buprenorphine can affect opioid pain medication.

The card also lists a link to this webpage: www.naabt.org/emergency with important relevant links useful if opioid pain treatment becomes necessary. Simply email us a mailing address to send the card to at MakeContact@naabt.org

Emergency Card

Still available. The FREE NAABT Resource Kit. Along with pertinent hardcopy literature, included is a CD which contains many of the files on our Literature Page, plus over 300 other files – including an off-line version of naabt.org, past newsletters, laws, research, emergency wallet card and much more. Click here to request one.

Email for bulk quantities:
MakeContact@naabt.org.
Free Resource Kit

NAABT on MySpace.
The naabt.org MySpace page has proven to be a good source of referrals to both naabt.org and the Patient/PhysicianMatching System. To see what it’s allabout, please visit us at: myspace.com/naabt
naabt myspace
www.CounselorList.org
Over 1000 Counselors have signed up for the evidence-based addiction counselor locator. By law, all DATA-2000 certified doctors must have the capacity to refer buprenorphine patients to appropriate ancillary services like counseling and peer support.
counselor locator coverage map
Counselors can sign up for this locator at www.CounselorList.org

Click here to find a counselor

Addiction Counselor Locator Banner

Click here to place a counselor locator banner on your website for free.

SAMHSA/CSAT

If you are a certified physician please be sure your information is correct on the physician locator. Please check for spelling and correct phone number. You can now update your own contact
information.

If you have given permission to post contact information in the Buprenorphine Physician and Treatment Program Locator, the information will be updated there too.

Use this link to go to the update form.

If you know of a colleague who is on the list but should not be due to no longer practicing, please advise by calling: 1-866-287-2728 or emailing: info@buprenorphine.samhsa.gov

Voluntary Disclosure: Some of the funding for this organization is provided by anonymous donors whose lives were touched by evidence-based addiction treatment and were willing to help support our mission. NAABT, Inc. has also accepted funding from pharmaceutical companies in the form of "Unrestricted Educational Grants." The grants are "unrestricted" so that there are no "strings" attached. NAABT, Inc. has complete control over how the funds are used, there are no restrictions on the content or mission of this site, and donors have no control over the content of the site or NAABT's activities. NAABT, Inc. is solely responsible for all of its activities.

Click here to learn more about NAABT.

The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed to help people, in need of treatment, find treatment providers who are willing and able to treat opioid dependency in the privacy of a doctor's office. Our website offers answers to frequently asked questions, a glossary, actual patient experiences, a discussion board, information on the history and treatments of opioid addiction, current news on the subject and more. Donate

This newsletter is provided to keep you informed on matters relating to Buprenorphine Treatment. Please feel free to contact us at newsletter@naabt.org with feedback, suggestions, or perhaps you would like to contribute a story. Also feel free to photocopy or print as many as these newsletters as you wish for distribution.

To add yourself or someone you know to the mailing list, please either write us or email us at subscribe@naabt.org.

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Click here for a PDF version of this newsletter for printing.
The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment NAABT, Inc. • P.O. Box 333 • Farmington, CT 06034 Tel: 860.269.4390 • Fax: 860.269.4391 • email: MakeContact@naabt.orgnaabt.org