Improving Access to Opioid Addiction Treatment
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Katherine E. Watkins discusses her research on transforming treatment for opioid addiction and other substance use disorders.
The Substance Use, Motivation, and Medication Integrated Treatment (SUMMIT) model demonstrates how primary care providers, especially in community health centers, can effectively deliver treatment for substance use disorders. The model provides a practical blueprint for policymakers and practitioners seeking to help those with addiction.
Watkins' research is influencing how California will spend an increasing flow of federal dollars targeting opioid addiction, and her findings are underscoring the importance of expanding addiction treatment authority beyond the role of psychiatrist.
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Researchers assessed the costs of implementing the substance use motivation and medication integrated treatment (SUMMIT) program in Los Angeles, using methods that may apply to other large facilities.
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Combining substance abuse treatment with regular medical care can successfully treat people with opioid or alcohol addiction, providing an option that might expand treatment and lower the cost of caring for people caught up in the nation's opioid epidemic.
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Many thoughtful policies have been implemented to reduce access to opioids and enhance treatment for addiction. But policies targeting one part of the system can have unintended effects on another. To combat the crisis, decisionmakers will need to weigh potential policy outcomes across the entire opioid ecosystem.
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This integrated collaborative care protocol created for the SUMMIT study outlines procedures for screening, brief intervention, and treatment for patients with opioid or alcohol use disorders.
