Resources: Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

Consists of a network of 10 regional centers, a central coordinating office, a National Hispanic and Latino ATTC, and a National American Indian and Alaska Native ATTC working in addiction treatment and recovery services. Promotes awareness and new and evidence-based practices and services for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) and substance use disorder (SUD). Facilitates the adoption of new technology by addiction treatment and recovery service providers. Offers education, training, resources, and information for the behavioral healthcare workforce in rural areas.

Provides information and resources for healthcare and social service organization leaders and providers to improve care coordination and access to services for women with opioid use disorder (OUD) in programs supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), such as health centers, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Ryan White HIV/AIDS clinics, and home visiting programs, as well as in other care settings. Focuses on shifting the culture around addiction and treatment, engaging women with OUD in care, and creating and maintaining partnerships that support care coordination for women with OUD. Offers self-assessment tools and metrics to help users monitor and evaluate care coordination in their organizations.

Provides a review of relevant research focused on the delivery of behavioral healthcare in disaster response in rural and remote areas. Describes the unique needs and challenges of providing behavioral health services to rural and isolated communities as a part of the wider response to natural or man-made disasters. Discusses different approaches to address behavioral health needs after a disaster or crisis, covering the areas of government and policy, community initiatives, and telebehavioral health.

Offers a dataset with information on Medicare-enrolled Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) providers that is updated weekly. Contains the name, National Provider Identifier (NPI), address, phone number, and the effective enrollment date for each provider. Includes resources for understanding and using the data.

Provides information to first responder agencies, communities, and other stakeholders to support practices and approaches for first responders to connect people to substance use treatment and other support services. Offers evidence-based strategies, public health approaches, resources, and program models, including best practices for responding to opioid overdoses. Considers potential challenges, such as those faced in rural areas, and other factors when implementing initiatives to support people who use drugs.

Evaluates 7 states participating in CMS's Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) Model, which is designed to support delivery system transformation for pregnant and postpartum people enrolled in Medicaid who have opioid use disorder (OUD). Provides an overview of program activities for implementation year 2 from July 2022 to June 2023, including adoption, implementation, reach, and sustainability of the model, as well as the model's outcomes and effectiveness. Discusses barriers and other factors affecting care in rural areas.

Provides an evaluation of a comprehensive behavioral health treatment approach taken by 1 rural county jail in Massachusetts utilizing telehealth for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Offers results, findings, and lessons learned from Franklin County Sheriff's Office's experience providing all 3 federally approved medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and counseling through telehealth to individuals in the jail during the pandemic.

Outlines evidence-based practices to help obstetrician-gynecologists, primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, certified midwives, specialists, and other providers take a more active role in supporting the health of pregnant people with opioid use disorder (OUD) and their infant children. Offers information on screening and assessment for OUD, initiating and maintaining pharmacotherapy to treat OUD, providing whole person care, prioritizing health equity for underserved populations, and barriers to care, including those faced by pregnant people living in rural areas.

Directory of providers across the U.S. specializing in the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD) and mental illness. Offers a search function to locate substance use and mental health facilities, healthcare centers, buprenorphine practitioners, and opioid treatment providers in or near a specific community. Provides information about treatment options, paying for treatment, and understanding mental health and addiction disorders in order to make it easier for individuals to identify and begin receiving appropriate treatment services.

Provides information, resources, and eligibility criteria to obtain free training to provide medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) for eligible clinicians working to address the opioid epidemic. Providers who complete the MOUD training may receive priority consideration when applying to the NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program or NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program.

Collaborates with tribal stakeholders across the U.S. to address issues related to the treatment of chronic pain and the use of heroin and prescription opioids among tribal populations. Works to promote appropriate and effective pain management, reduce opioid overdose deaths, and improve access to culturally appropriate substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery services for American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Workgroup focus areas include prescriber support, treatment and recovery, harm reduction, program effectiveness metrics, technical assistance, and communications.

Offers jails with established medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs the opportunity to apply to become a mentor site to provide peer-to-peer mentoring to other jails interested in establishing or expanding MAT programs to better meet the needs of individuals in jail with substance use disorders (SUD).

Provides information on the availability of, and access to, medications for treating alcohol use disorder (AUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD), and for reversing opioid overdoses within state Medicaid plans. Discusses policies and regulations affecting access to these medications and reviews the present coverage and availability of the medications to Medicaid beneficiaries in each state. Includes 5 innovative models for expanding medication access to underserved Medicaid populations, including those residing in rural areas, American Indian/Alaska Native communities, and individuals recently released from incarceration.

Describes a benefit that covers opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment services under Medicare Part B medical insurance. Enables the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to make bundled payments to certified opioid treatment programs (OTPs) for OUD treatment services for an episode of care provided to Medicare Part B beneficiaries. Covers the following services under the benefit: opioid agonist and antagonist medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), substance use counseling, individual and group therapy, toxicology testing, intake activities, periodic assessments, and intensive outpatient services.

Podcast series featuring conversations with individuals currently involved with programs that provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and recovery support in rural jails. Each episode focuses on the unique role the speaker has in their respective MAT program, which includes a jail medical staff administrator, a peer specialist, a community-based medical provider, a MAT program coordinator, and a jail administrator. Offers experience and lessons learned from addressing common challenges to implementing MAT for individuals in jail with opioid use disorder.

Provides information on methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone and how they are used to provide medication treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). Covers the signs of an overdose and answers questions about each medication.

Shares the results of a survey of practitioners affiliated with Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) grant sites throughout the U.S. to assess substance use disorder (SUD) stigma and treatment needs in rural areas. Includes various statistics on practitioner demographics, professional roles, work setting, medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), stigma, and other practitioner beliefs and barriers.

Toolkit sharing field guidance, resources, and presentations to support clinical decisions about starting, continuing, or tapering opioid therapy, and other challenges related to safe opioid prescribing. Includes patient and provider education, clinical tools, and other resources.

Offers comprehensive information and resources on the use of prescription opioids, managing chronic pain, and opioid use disorder (OUD) for patients and providers, specifically for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities and Indian Health Service (IHS) providers. Includes online tools, technical assistance resources, guides, and training for patients and providers on topics such as opioid crisis data, opioid prevention, proper pain management, opioid prescribing/stewardship, culturally appropriate practices, maternal health, harm reduction, naloxone use, child health and wellness, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), tele-MAT, trauma-informed care, best practices, supportive services, wellness courts, and training opportunities. Resource is an initiative of the IHS Alcohol and Substance Abuse Branch (ASAB).

Provides a brief overview of the issue of opioid overdoses in rural areas and offers public health policy and strategy options to help communities prevent and reduce rural opioid overdose deaths. Includes case studies describing interventions implemented in 3 states.

Highlights discussion and policy priorities from a August 2022 virtual roundtable meeting focused on increasing awareness and understanding of the barriers and challenges related to buprenorphine access in pharmacy settings the U.S. Includes specific observations and recommendations to improve buprenorphine access in pharmacy settings in rural areas.

Offers healthcare professionals evidence-based training, education, and resources to treat patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). Provides free medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) training for physicians, physician assistants (PA), advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), medical students, and other healthcare professionals. Training is available in on-demand, online, or in-person formats.

Describes the Addiction Recovery Care (ARC) program, which combines residential treatment of substance use disorders with employment services for individuals in Kentucky, with a focus on rural, Appalachian communities with high rates of opioid use. Discusses the program structure, implementation, target populations, and services provided, including medications for opioid use disorder, recovery services, and employment and job training programs. Offers lessons learned and recommendations for implementing similar programs.

Podcast episode featuring the county prosecutor of rural Navajo County in northeast Arizona discussing efforts to provide substance use disorder treatment and recovery services to individuals in the county jail. Transcript available below description.

Provides literature reviews on rural health priorities identified in the Rural Healthy People 2030 survey. Includes chapters on the issues of addiction, rural substance misuse, mental health and mental disorders, chronic pain, and more. Seeks to inform rural policymakers, providers, advocates, and other stakeholders to promote the health of people living in rural communities.

Provides a clearinghouse of information, best practices, tools, events, and research to support comprehensive approaches to prevention, treatment, recovery, and policy to address substance use disorder (SUD) in rural communities nationwide.

Directory of healthcare practitioners authorized to provide buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) in the U.S. and U.S. territories.

Directory of behavioral health treatment locator tools, hotlines for suicide prevention, treatment referral services, assistance for veterans in crisis, and more. Includes links to resources and services related to substance use disorder (SUD) prevention, treatment, and recovery; mental illness; medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD); harm reduction; opioid overdose; crisis care; and suicide prevention.

Provides an overview of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and medications for alcohol use disorder (AUD), as well as information on opioid treatment programs (OTPs). Describes current federal regulations and requirements for practitioners to prescribe MOUD. Includes information and training resources for healthcare providers, researchers, and patients.

Provides information and resources for local health departments and community organizations implementing or expanding overdose prevention and response strategies at the local level. Offers guidance in developing practical measurement strategies to monitor progress, demonstrate accountability, and assess the outcomes and impact of grant-funded overdose initiatives. Includes examples from programs implemented in rural counties.

Provides an overview of treatment options for veterans experiencing substance use issues. Includes information on different therapies, medications to reduce opioid and other substance use, intensive outpatient treatment, residential care, continuing care and relapse prevention, self-help groups, and more.

Estimates and characterizes the U.S. adult populations who need opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment, receive any OUD treatment, and receive medications for OUD, using data from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Includes data comparing adults living in metropolitan areas with those in micropolitan or noncore statistical areas.

Describes the enterprise-wide initiatives currently supported by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Rural Health. Shares the work of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) national programs to provide healthcare services in VA hospitals and health systems to veterans residing in rural areas across the nation. Outlines programs to address primary care, specialty care, mental health, care coordination, workforce training and education, transportation, and more. Includes virtual training for providers on substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery, as well as a pharmacy-based program to increase access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for rural veterans with opioid use disorder.

Offers evidence-based information, recommendations, guides, and tools for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) healthcare providers and patients to assist in the decision making process to improve the treatment and outcomes for patients with substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD), methamphetamine use, and co-occurring mental health conditions. Describes best practices to help patients avoid preventable complications, reduce substance use, and improve their overall health and wellness.