Treatment for Opioid Dependence

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A major priority in US medicine is the need to improve quality and access while containing costs. Two articles in this issue of THE JOURNAL address 2 important quality and access issues in opioid stabilization treatment: primary care methadone treatment,1 which can improve access by broadening the prescriber base, and the abbreviation of methadone therapy,2 which might improve access by allowing more patients per year in the available treatment slots. These articles address 2 strategies to enhance quality: directly observed methadone administration in primary care and intensified counseling in brief methadone treatment.