New Bill Signed to Combat the Opioid Epidemic

On Oct. 24, President Donald Trump signed The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. This bipartisan bill aims to resolve the opioid crisis by increasing access to addiction treatment and promoting recovery. Learn more about this opioid epidemic bill and the importance of tracking addiction outcome measures in your practice.

About the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities ActThe SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act opioid legislation opens up new ways to fight opioid addiction for patients and researchers, including:

• Expanding access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT): The bill will make therapies like MAT more accessible to people with opioid use disorders. MAT involves the use of medicines like buprenorphine to reduce withdrawal symptoms.

• Allowing more patients with Medicaid to access treatment: Patients who rely on Medicaid now have more opportunities to get treatment for opioid use disorder.

• Increasing research funding: Medical researchers now have more resources to help them find solutions to the opioid crisis.

This bill also acknowledges that addiction is a disease. Confirming it as a medical condition helps reduce the stigma around addiction and reject the idea that it comes from a moral failing.

The Importance of Tracking Outcome Measures for Treatment EffectivenessBehavioral health professionals have a part to play in the fight against opioid addiction. Many of the underlying causes of opioid abuse involve mental health conditions, a history of substance abuse or trauma. Patients count on the behavioral health field to address these issues. With behavioral health at the forefront of addiction causes, professionals can track outcome measures to find aberrant behavior. AccuCare simplifies the process with the Opioid Risk Tool (ORT).

AccuCare’s Opioid Risk Tool (ORT)The ORT feature in our AccuCare online system allows you to detect a patient’s risk of opioid abuse with a simple questionnaire. After you enter the answers to questions about trauma, substance abuse history and mental health, ORT generates a score. This number indicates the patient’s risk of developing an opioid abuse disorder.

We based the ORT feature on a research-supported screening tool with more than 90 percent accuracy. Patients who receive a high score have a greater chance of performing aberrant behaviors that suggest opioid use. ORT acts as the start of a conversation that could save a patient’s life.

Contact Us Today
At Orion Healthcare Technology, we empower behavioral health professionals to improve patients’ well-being. To learn more about AccuCare and ORT, call us at 844-359-0540 or request a free demo.