Management of Substance Use Disorders in Ambulatory Care in the United States, 2001-2009

A n estimated 22.5 million Americans meet criteria for a substance use disorder diagnosis. Opioid use, in particular, has attracted attention recently because overdose deaths due to opioid analgesics have increased nearly 4-fold in the past decade. Effective treatment options have also increased during this period. The impact of these developments on the delivery of substance abuse treatment in traditional ambulatory care settings is not known. Further change is expected as recent federal legislation is implemented. Therefore, we sought to describe the prevalence and management of substance use disorders in ambulatory care in a nationally representative sample.