AMCP Addiction Treatment Advisory Group (ATAG)

• About the AMCP ATAG 
• ATAG Publications and Press Releases 
• ATAG AMCP Comments 
• ATAG Education Programs 
• ATAG Resources 

About the AMCP ATAG

Recognizing the widespread and devastating nature of the opioid crisis, AMCP formed the Addiction Treatment Advisory Group in 2015 based on the recommendation from the AMCP Partnership Forum, Breaking the Link between Pain Management and Opioid Use Disorder. The purpose of the advisory group was multifaceted and included a focus on gaining insight for managed care organizations to use to improve access to medications for treatment of substance use disorders. This group was composed of 19 national leaders from a wide range of organizations, including behavioral health organizations, outpatient treatment centers, nonprofit advocacy groups, health plans, pharmacy benefit management companies, specialty pharmacies, employers, hospitals and manufacturers.  This group has now folded and its work incorporated into existing committees. 

Read our list of the members of the ATAG here.

Publications and Press Releases

	The Role of Managed Care Pharmacy in Improving Access to Naloxone: A Viewpoint Article and Findings from the Addiction Treatment Advisory Group were formally published as an outsert with the December 2016 issue of the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy.
	Findings and Considerations for the Evidence-Based Use of Medications Used in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorder: A Viewpoint Article and Findings from the Addiction Treatment Advisory Group were formally published as an outsert with the December 2016 issue of the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy.
	AMCP Addiction Treatment Advisory Group Releases Findings on Improving Treatment of Opioid Addiction
	Overview of the Partnership to Amend 42 CFR Part 2: A coalition of over 20 health care stakeholders committed to aligning 42 CFR part 2 (part 2) with HIPAA to allow appropriate access to patient information that is essential for providing whole-person care.
	AMCP Addiction Treatment Advisory Group to Identify Barriers, Improve Access to Treatment Services

AMCP Comments

The AMCP ATAG provided input and guidance to staff as they developed comments, analysis and testimony to Congress and other federal and state agencies on how proposed regulations and laws associated with opioid use disorder.

AMCP Comments on the impact of the final rule for SAMHSA- 4162-20: Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records; November 3, 2016

AMCP Comments on the AHRQ Draft Technical Brief - Medication-Assisted Treatment Models of Care for Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care Settings; June 9, 2016

AMCP Comments to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) on Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders (RIN 0930-AA22); May 31, 2016.

AMCP comment to the Senate Finance Committee Hearing – Examining the Opioid Epidemic: Challenges and Opportunities; February 22, 2016

AMCP comments to the Centers for Disease Control’s Proposed 2016 Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain (Docket Number CDC-2015-0112); January 16, 2016.

Education Programs

The ATAG has worked to develop educational programs to help inform and educate stakeholders on the myriad issues associated with opioid use disorder. AMCP members can access webinar content on the management of opioids and reducing misuse and abuse at the links provided below.

• Integrating Evidence-Based Guidelines for the Use of MAT into Managed Care Policies and Procedures 
• AMCP Addiction Treatment Advisory Group Recommendations to Improve Patient Access and Management of Substance Use Disorders 
• Preventing and Treating Opioid Overdose: A Managed Care Perspective 
• Confronting and Reducing Opioid Addiction 
• Responding to the Opioid Addiction Epidemic 
• Breaking the Link Between Pain Management and Substance Abuse 

AMCP has also developed the following continuing education program which provides 1.25 CEUs and reviews the landscape of current opioid addiction treatments and explore challenges and opportunities in patient access to appropriate treatment for acute episodes and chronic pain maintenance:

• Tackling the Opioid Epidemic and Addiction Treatment: A Managed Care Approach
  Participants should claim continuing pharmacy education (CPE) credit for this online activity, only if they have not claimed credit for the live activity presented at the AMCP Annual Meeting 2017.  
• Opioid Addiction Treatment - Current State and Future Opportunities
  Participants should claim continuing pharmacy education (CPE) credit for this online activity, only if they have not claimed credit for the live activity presented at the AMCP Annual Meeting 2016.  

Resources

There are a number of helpful resources that may be of use to individuals interested in this topic.

• American Society of Addiction Medicine. The ASAM Criteria. Access at http://www.asam.org/quality-practice/guidelines-and-consensus-documents/the-asam-criteria.
• College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists. Naloxone Access: A Practical Guideline for Pharmacists. Access at https://cpnp.org/guideline/naloxone.
• College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists. Opioid Use Disorders: Interventions for Community Pharmacists. Access at https://cpnp.org/guideline/opioid.
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain – United States 2016. Access at https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/rr/rr6501e1.htm.
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The Prescription Opioid Epidemic: An Evidence-Based Approach. Access at http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/center-for-drug-safety-and-effectiveness/opioid-epidemic-town-hall-2015/2015-prescription-opioid-epidemic-report.pdf.
• National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. NABP PMP InterConnect. Access at https://nabp.pharmacy/members/programs-services/industry-information-networks/pmp-interconnect/.
• National Governor’s Association. Finding solutions to the prescription opioid and heroin crisis: a road map for states. Access at http://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/2016/1607NGAOpioidRoadMap.pdf.
• National Institute on Drug Abuse. Trends and statistics: prescription drug abuse. Access at https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics.
• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. Strategies to Prevent Unsafe Opioid Prescribing in Primary Care among Patients with Acute or Chronic Non-Cancer Pain. Access at http://www.pcori.org/funding-opportunities/announcement/strategies-prevent-unsafe-opioid-prescribing-primary-care-among.
• Prescribe to Prevent. Provides tools, resources, guides, forms on integrating naloxone into practice. Access at http://prescribetoprevent.org/.
• Provider’s Clinical Support Systems for Medication-Assisted Treatment. Access at http://www.pcssmat.org.
• Provider’s Clinical Support Systems for Opioid Therapies. Access at http://www.pcss-o.org.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Medication-assisted treatment. Access at http://www.samhsa.gov/medication-assisted-treatment.
• White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. National Drug Control Strategy. Access at http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp.

The work of the ATAG was supported by Alkermes, kaleo, and Precision Diagnostics.