Today, April 28th, 2007, a draft supplement to the ASAM Patient Placement Criteria on Pharmacotherapies for Alcohol Use Disorders was distributed for field review and comment at the American Society of Addiction Medicine's Annual Medical Scientific Conference in Doral Florida. It is not an approved ASAM document and is only for field review.

Field input and involvement in the process of revising the draft supplement is an important aspect of ensuring that the supplement maintain the flexibility necessary to serve as an effective tool.

Questions on the draft supplement may be addressed to the American Society of Addiction Medicine at the following number (301) 656-3920. Please ask for Eileen McGrath.
 

American Society of Addiction Medicine's (ASAM) Second Edition -Revised of Patient Placement Criteria (ASAM PPC-2R)

To Order call 1-800-844-8948

The American Society of Addiction Medicine's (ASAM) Patient Placement Criteria (ASAM PPC-2R) is the most widely used and comprehensive national guidelines for placement, continued stay and discharge of patients with alcohol and other drug problems.

Responding to requests for criteria that better meet the needs of patients with co-occurring mental and substance-related disorders ("dual diagnosis"), for revised adolescent criteria  and for clarification of the residential levels of care, the ASAM Patient Placement Criteria for the Treatment of Substance-Related Disorders, (Second Edition -– Revised ): (ASAM PPC-2R) was released in April, 2001.

The ASAM PPC-2R provides two sets of guidelines, one for adults and one for adolescents, and five broad levels of care for each group. The levels of care are: Level 0.5, Early Intervention; Level I, Outpatient Treatment; Level II, Intensive Outpatient/Partial Hospitalization ;Level III, Residential/Inpatient Treatment; and Level IV, Medically-Managed Intensive Inpatient Treatment. Within these broad levels of service is a range of specific levels of care.

For each level of care, a brief overview of the services available for particular severities of addiction and related problems is presented; as is a structured description of the settings, staff and services, and admission criteria for the following six dimensions: acute intoxication/withdrawal potential; biomedical conditions and complications; emotional, behavioral or cognitive conditions and complications; readiness to change; relapse, continued use or continued problem potential; and recovery environment.

The diagnostic terminology used in the ASAM PPC-2R  is consistent with the most recent language of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). The "unbundling" of clinical services is addressed, recognizing that these services can be and often are provided separately from environmental supports. With unbundling, the type and intensity of treatment are based on the patient's needs and not on limitations imposed by the treatment setting. Criteria are also included which attempt to match a patient's severity of illness along Dimension 1 (Acute Intoxication and/or Withdrawal Potential) with five intensities of detoxification service.

The ASAM PPC-2R has been totally reformatted and published in a format to facilitate comparisons across levels of service care. There are significant additional criteria and appendices that will assist both the addiction treatment and mental health fields improve services for people with co-occurring mental and substance-related disorders. It is available at a cost of $70 for ASAM members and $85 for nonmembers. Quantity discounts are also available.  SHIPPING: 12% for U.S. orders; 15% for Canada. International orders will be billed actual cost. ($5.00 MINIMUM)

The ASAM Patient Placement Criteria for the Treatment of Substance-Related Disorders is an essential tool for use in treatment planning and in working with managed care organizations, and public and private treatment providers. To place an order, contact the ASAM Publications Distribution Center at 1-800-844-8948.

The mission of the Journal of Addiction Medicine (JAM), the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), is to promote excellence in the practice of addiction medicine and clinical research. JAM functions independently from ASAM in terms of its editorial content. [Journal of Addiction Medicine]