New DAL Issued Regarding Residents with Substance Use Disorders in Nursing Homes
On March 9th, the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) issued a Dear Administrator Letter (DAL) designed to promote a greater understanding of the effective treatment of substance use disorder (SUD) in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Distributed through the Department of Health (DOH) website, the DAL states that individuals with SUD may develop serious medical conditions requiring admission to SNFs. For both opioid use disorder (OUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD), medication for addiction treatment (MAT) is the standard of care. For most individuals, MAT is recommended to be used as long-term maintenance therapy. The medications prescribed include, but are not limited to, methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone, disulfiram, and acamprosate. SUD is treated most effectively as a chronic medical condition, akin to other medical conditions benefiting from a chronic care management approach.
The DAL acknowledges that there have been misconceptions about treatment as well as challenges in placing individuals with SUD in SNFs. OASAS is offering educational opportunities and support to SNFs and provides a contact in the DAL for anyone with specific questions.
Also of note, registration is available for a free 30-minute educational session on opioid, SUD, and pain management entitled "Disrupting Substance Use Disorder Together," scheduled for Thurs., March 16th from 12:30 to 1 p.m. The session is being sponsored by the IPRO Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO).
Contact: Elliott Frost, efrost@leadingageny.org, 518-441-8761