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CM, only effective treatment for stimulants, on the ropes as methamphetamine surges
Author(s) -
Knopf Alison
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
alcoholism and drug abuse weekly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7591
pISSN - 1042-1394
DOI - 10.1002/adaw.32742
Subject(s) - methamphetamine , inspector general , medicaid , payment , contingency management , stimulant , human services , medicine , medical emergency , business , psychiatry , health care , political science , law , finance , audit , accounting , intervention (counseling)
Contingency management (CM), which means rewarding drug users not to use drugs, is the only known effective treatment for stimulant use disorder, but it has become caught up in anti‐kickback initiatives. At the heart of the problem is a misunderstanding: CM payments are not kickbacks — they are part of treatment. But “safe harbor” initiatives from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are interpreting them as such, and not allowing Medicaid to pay for them (only $75 a year per patient).