2014

Daryl W. Kade, MA, has been appointed acting director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). H. Westley Clark, MD, former director, retired suddenly, effective October 3. Ms. Kade will be acting director until a permanent director is found. Ms. Kade was director of SAMHSA’s Office of … [Read more...] about Kade Appointed Acting Director of CSAT in Wake of Clark’s Retiring

Over the summer, steps have been taken to increase the “cap”—the number of patients a physician can treat—with buprenorphine/naloxone. The American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD), opioid treatment programs (OTPs), and other national organizations watched the proceedings with concern, because there is no validation of whether most office-based … [Read more...] about Increasing the Buprenorphine Patient Cap: Threat to Patient Care

Most advocates in the field oppose the idea of a stable patient who is doing well on methadone switching to buprenorphine provided by an office-based physician. If treatment in an opioid treatment program (OTP) is working well, and the patient is in successful recovery, why jeopardize this by switching to office-based opioid treatment (OBOT), they reason. “It shouldn’t be OBOT … [Read more...] about “The Talk”—When Patients Want to Switch from Methadone to Buprenorphine