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The
importance of NIH Consensus Conferences cannot be underestimated
since it provides a scientific forum where independent non-governmental
experts examine the evidence in support of a specific area of
medicine. The panel was chaired by Dr. Lewis L. Judd of the University
of California at San Diego School of Medicine.
The panel recognized
that less than 20% of the estimated 600,000 heroin dependent individuals
in the U.S. are being treated in methadone programs, in spite of
the long-standing efficacy of methadone maintenance. The panel's
primary recommendations include the following:
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Eliminating
unnecessary layers of federal and state regulation for methadone
and similar opiate treatment medications |
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Instituting
means other than regulation to improve the quality of methadone
treatment, such as accreditation of methadone treatment programs |
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Improving
the training that physicians and other health care professionals
receive in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with heroin
addiction |
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Increasing
funding for methadone treatment, including providing benefits
to methadone treatment as part of public and private health
insurance programs |
We commend NIH and
NIDA for convening the Consensus Conference and have already begun
to implement its leading recommendations. Our Association's Board
of Directors approved a proposal to work in conjunction with the
American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) to provide regional
physician training seminars throughout the United States, implementing
one of the NIH recommendations. The ASAM Board of Directors also
approved this joint policy initiative during their April 1998 Board
meeting.
We will implement
the first training initiative with an all day session during Saturday,
September 26, 1998 as a pre-conference session at the national methadone
conference. This will also mark the first time that we are encouraging
physicians to participate in this training opportunity, who have
not been engaged in treating patients in methadone maintenance programs.
It is incumbent upon us to be involved in training the next cadre
of physicians, who will build on the expertise of methadone treatment
caregivers, creating a better integrated system of care for the
future. It is the only way that we will be able to implement our
policy initiative of referring stable methadone maintained patients
to genera1613l medical practice settings.
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