Evidence-based treatments for substance use disorder can reduce substance use, related health harms (for example, infectious disease transmission), and overdose deaths. High-quality treatment can also increase social functioning. The strategy therefore focuses on reducing barriers to accessing the most effective treatments, using motivational and cultural enhancements to encourage those who might be reluctant, advancing strategies to improve engagement and retention, and continuing to develop new therapeutic approaches.
This page highlights current federal activities that advance evidence-based treatment by making treatment easy to get, delivering healthcare and support services in a seamless and coordinated way, and implementing new and improved models of care that appeal to and help those who need them.
Support research on and development of new treatments and strategies to improve engagement and retention in care.
NIH HEAL Initiative®: The HEALing Communities Study to Reduce Overdoses
The Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative® HEALing Community Study aims to reduce overdose deaths by 40 percent over the course of the study by testing a set of proven prevention and treatment interventions in 67 communities across four states hard-hit by the opioid crisis.
Lead Agency:
NIH
Partner Agency:
SAMHSA
NIH HEAL Initiative®: The Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN)
Lead Agency:
NIH
Partner Agency:
DOJ
NIDA Clinical Trials Network
Lead Agency:
NIH
Promote and advance development of stimulant use disorder treatments
Lead Agency:
NIH, FDA
NIH HEAL Initiative®: The Advancing Clinical Trials in Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal (ACT NOW) Research Program
Lead Agency:
NIH
Broaden access to evidence-based care that increases willingness to engage in treatment.
Podcast Series: The Case for Buprenorphine Initiation in the Emergency Department: Why, When, and How?
Listen and learn from nationally recognized experts in 15-minute podcasts about the importance and effectiveness of starting buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) in emergency departments. Hospital leaders receive research-backed advice on the technology tools, clinical evidence, and referral networks that support this safe and effective first-line treatment in the ED – and how this research has been translated into action.
- Exploring Technology Connection - Arjun Venkatesh, MD, MBA, MHS
Dr. Arjun Venkatesh shares IT tools that simplify evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder in the emergency department. - Examining the Clinical Evidence - Gail D’Onofrio, MD, MS
Dr. Gail D'Onofrio highlights the effectiveness of buprenorphine in reducing overdose risk and promoting patient retention in treatment for opioid use disorder. - Developing a Partner Network - Andrew Herring, MD
Dr. Andrew Herring, founder and principal investigator of CA Bridge, discusses the resources available to hospitals to help nurture strong referral networks to opioid use disorder treatment beyond the emergency department. - Driving Research into Action - Eric W. Dickson MD, MHCM, FACEP
UMass Memorial Healthcare CEO Dr. Eric Dickson shares how his health system uses evidence-based approaches to improve care for patients with opioid use disorder, emphasizing the use of data and storytelling to gain support.
UMass Memorial Healthcare CEO Dr. Eric Dickson shares how his health system uses evidence-based approaches to improve care for patients with opioid use disorder, emphasizing the use of data and storytelling to gain support.
Lead Agency:
NIDA, CMS
Disclaimer: These resources were funded in part with federal funds from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Center for the Clinical Trials Network Dissemination Initiative (contract # 75N95020C00028RFP). The content was developed by experts and researchers and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government. This information should not be considered a substitute for legal counsel or individualized patient care and treatment decisions.
Medicaid Section 1115 Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Demonstrations
To improve access to and quality of substance use disorder treatment for Medicaid beneficiaries, Section 1115 Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Demonstrations provide state programs with funding to develop innovative solutions to address local concerns about health services provided and to phase in a range of strategies to address those concerns.
Lead Agency:
CMS
Expand Treatment Capacity for Medication for Opioid Use Disorder
Lead Agency:
SAMHSA
Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP)
Lead Agency:
HRSA
Integrated Care for Kids (InCK) Model
Lead Agency:
CMS
Opioid Treatment Program flexibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic
Lead Agency:
SAMHSA
Increase the uptake of evidence-based treatment delivery that improves engagement and retention in care.
Understanding and Improving Buprenorphine Access in Pharmacy Settings
Learn about SAMHSA’s Virtual Town Hall and Roundtable Summary Report
Read the Policy Priority Roundtable Summary Report
Read the Virtual Town Hall Report
Lead Agencies:
SAMHSA, ASH, DEA
Partner Agencies:
ASPE, CDC, CMS, FDA, HRSA, IHS, IOS, OCR, OGC, NIDA, NIH
Buprenorphine Practice Guidelines
Lead Agency:
SAMHSA
Partner Agencies:
CDC, DEA, FDA, NIH, OASH
Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) Model
The Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) Model promotes care coordination and integrated approach for pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder. Supporting the coordination of clinical care and the integration of other services critical for health, well-being, and recovery. participants will receive healthcare services (e.g., maternity care, medication-assisted treatment, medical services, mental health services) provided by team of specialists.
Lead Agency:
CMS
Medicaid Demonstration Project - SUPPORT Act Section 1003
Lead Agency:
CMS
Promote evidence-based integrated care for people with co-occurring conditions across lines of service and care settings.
Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) and Combatting Opioid Overdose through Community-Level Intervention (COOCLI)
Building sustained partnerships between public health and public safety communities is the hallmark of the Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) Combatting Opioid Overdose through Community-Level Intervention (COOCLI) program. By connecting public health and public safety agencies, sharing information, and supporting evidence-based interventions, this effort implements innovative, evidence-based, community-level interventions across rural, suburban, and urban areas.
Learn about public health and public safety partnerships to combat overdose
Lead Agency:
CDC
Partner Agencies:
DEA, ONDCP
General Research.
Featured Activity Scanning Analysis of Sequential Semisolvent Vapor Impact to Study Naltrexone Release from Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) Microparticles
Lead Agency:
FDA
Characteristics and Prescribing Patterns of Clinicians Waivered to Prescribe Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder Before and After Release of New Practice Guidelines
Lead Agency:
CDC
Partner Agencies:
SAMHSA, ASPE, FDA, CMS, NIH
Association between treatment setting and outcomes among Oregon Medicaid patients with opioid use disorder: a retrospective cohort study
Lead Agency:
NIH
The Opioid Use Disorder Core Outcomes Set (OUD-COS) for treatment research: findings from a Delphi consensus study
Lead Agency:
NIH
Baseline Representativeness of Patients in Clinics Enrolled in the PRimary care Opioid Use Disorders treatment (PROUD) Trial: Comparison of Trial and Non-Trial Clinics in the Same Health Systems
Lead Agency:
NIH
The association between buprenorphine treatment duration and mortality: a multi-site cohort study of people who discontinued treatment
Lead Agency:
NIH
Impact of COVID-19-Related Regulatory Changes on Nationwide Access to Buprenorphine: An Interrupted Time Series Design
Lead Agency:
NIH
Implementation Facilitation to Promote Emergency Department-Initiated Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder
Lead Agency:
NIH
Implementing Programs to Initiate Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in High-Need, Low-Resource Emergency Departments: A Nonrandomized Controlled Trial
Lead Agency:
NIH
Psychometric Performance of a Substance Use Symptom Checklist to Help Clinicians Assess Substance Use Disorder in Primary Care
Lead Agency:
NIH
Patient Engagement in a Multimodal Digital Phenotyping Study of Opioid Use Disorder
Lead Agency:
NIH
Use of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Among Adults with Past-Year Opioid Use Disorder in the US, 2021
Lead Agency:
CDC
Trends and Characteristics of Buprenorphine-Involved Overdose Deaths Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Lead Agency:
CDC
Partner Agency:
NIH
Characteristics and Prescribing Patterns of Clinicians Waivered to Prescribe Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder Before and After Release of New Practice Guidelines
Lead Agency:
CDC
Partner Agency:
SAMHSA, ASPE, FDA, CMS, NIH
Buprenorphine use and courses of care for opioid use disorder treatment within the Veterans Health Administration
Lead Agency:
NIH
Surmounting Withdrawal to Initiate Fast Treatment with Naltrexone (SWIFT): A stepped wedge hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation study
Lead Agency:
NIH
Association of Receipt of Opioid Use Disorder-Related Telehealth Services and Medications for Opioid Use Disorder with Fatal Drug Overdoses Among Medicare Beneficiaries Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Lead Agency:
CDC
Partner Agency:
CMS, NIH
Receipt of Telehealth Services, Receipt and Retention of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder, and Medically Treated Overdose Among Medicare Beneficiaries Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Lead Agency:
CDC
Partner Agency:
CMS, NIH
Methadone-Involved Overdose Deaths in the US Before and After Federal Policy Changes Expanding Take-Home Methadone Doses from Opioid Treatment Programs
Lead Agency:
CDC
Partner Agency:
NIH
Protocol for community-driven selection of strategies to implement evidence-based practices to reduce opioid overdoses in the HEALing Communities Study: a trial to evaluate a community-engaged intervention in Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York and Ohio
Lead Agency:
NIH
County-level sociodemographic differences in availability of two medications for opioid use disorder: United States, 2019
Lead Agency:
CDC
Association Between Receipt of Antidepressants and Retention in Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study
Lead Agency:
CDC
Partner Agency:
NIH
Racial‒Ethnic Disparities of Buprenorphine and Vivitrol Receipt in Medicaid
Lead Agency:
CDC
Trends in Out-of-Pocket Costs for and Characteristics of Pharmacy-Dispensed Buprenorphine Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment by Type of Payer, 2015 to 2020
Lead Agency:
CDC
Out-of-Pocket Costs and Payer Types for Buprenorphine Among US Youth Aged 12 to 19 Years
Lead Agency:
CDC
Buprenorphine Dispensing Among Youth Aged ≤19 Years in the United States: 2015-2020
Lead Agency:
CDC
Effectiveness of Conditioned Open-label Placebo with Methadone in Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Lead Agency:
NIH
Telemedicine along the cascade of care for substance use disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
Lead Agency:
NIH
Clinical Trial Design Challenges and Opportunities for Emerging Treatments for Opioid Use Disorder: A Review
Lead Agency:
NIH
Buprenorphine Dose and Time to Discontinuation Among Patients with Opioid Use Disorder in the Era of Fentanyl
Lead Agency:
NIH
Cardiac and mortality outcome differences between methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone prescriptions in patients with an opioid use disorder
Lead Agency:
NIH
Emergency department interventions for opioid use disorder: A synthesis of emerging models
Lead Agency:
ASPE
Trends in Pharmacy-Based Dispensing of Buprenorphine, Extended-Release Naltrexone, and Naloxone During the COVID-19 Pandemic by Age and Sex – United States, March 2019 – December 2020
Lead Agency:
CDC