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eLearning ASAM Criteria Clinical Case Scenarios

AUDIENCE: COUNSELORS & SOCIAL WORKERS

Asam criteria.

From building foundational concepts to testing your knowledge, The ASAM Criteria educational offerings have been utilized and required in at least 30 different states.

• Foundations
• Skill Building
• 2-Day Course
• Clinical Case Scenarios
• Levels of Care

ASAM Criteria Clinical Case Scenarios for Providers and Payers

These clinical case scenarios are a set of online modules that test providers and payers on their understanding of The ASAM Criteria. Learners will be tested on their understanding of The ASAM Criteria through real-world influenced cases. Each scenario introduces an individual who is either entering or continuing substance use disorder treatment. The learner must determine certain aspects of each individual’s treatment and align them with ASAM’s peer-reviewed rationales. The learner will be guided to key concepts in The ASAM Criteria textbook if they have trouble understanding the clinical case scenario’s highlighted principles. An assessment will be completed by the learner after reviewing the case scenarios, which will encompass situational questions that test providers and payers on ASAM knowledge. The modules are a package of twenty diverse, real-life patient case scenarios covering the ASAM level of care spectrum.

What You'll Learn as Providers

After participating in this course, learners will be able to:

• Apply The ASAM Criteria multidimensional assessment to develop a patient's level of care placement.
• Analyze the information given in the multidimensional assessment to determine the severity and risk ratings in each of The ASAM Criteria dimensions.
• Evaluate the dimensional interactions and how they affect the dimensional admission criteria and risk rating severity presented within the patient's multidimensional assessment.
• Review the level of care placement for the patient and respond to situational factors involving the patient's care and utilization review.

What You'll Learn as Payers

• Understand The ASAM Criteria multidimensional assessment and how it applies to the patient's level of care placement
• Apply the information given in the multidimensional assessment by determining the individual’s risk ratings in each of The ASAM Criteria dimensions
• Identify and establish what dimensional interactions are occurring within the patient's multidimensional assessment
• Determine level of care placement for the patient and apply knowledge about The ASAM Criteria through assessment

Test Your Knowledge

Asam clinical case scenarios for providers package.

This 10-hour package of intermediate, on-demand modules covers risk ratings, interactivity between dimensions, level of withdrawal management, level of care, and additional services added to their level of care placement.

• Non-Member - $199
• Regular Member - $149
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• ASAM Staff - Free!
• International Member - $149
• Emeritus Member - $149
• Provisional Member - $149
• Fellow Member - $149
• Honorary Member - $149
• CRT Member - $149

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Looking to claim credit for the 2023 Virtual Review Course? Follow these step-by-step instructions!

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No image The ASAM criteria is the most widely used and comprehensive set of guidelines for placement, continued stay and transfer/discharge of patients with addiction and co-occurring conditions. Authoring Agency American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Resource URL ASAM Criteria

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The ASAM Criteria - Print Version

The ASAM Criteria Fourth Edition is a comprehensive set of guidelines that use a holistic, person-centered approach to developing treatment plans for patients with addiction and co-occurring conditions.

The revised standards have been crafted using a rigorous methodology for scientific evidence review and consensus development. The result is an update that is easier to understand and apply for improved patient care.

New in this edition:

• Color-coding system organizes information into easily identifiable sections, facilitating quicker access to key content
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The ASAM Criteria - Digital Version

The digital version brings the full value of The ASAM Criteria to life in an engaging and accessible interface. With an intuitive, user-friendly design and practical features, the digital edition can be an essential tool for your practice.

Key features:

• Custom tools to highlight and bookmark content, create notes, and organize important information into folders
• Personalized dashboard allows you to enter the textbook where you left off and offers quick access to your saved materials
• Interactive graphics and multimedia enhance the learning experience
• Contextually relevant expert videos, case studies, and resources provide insights and support for using the guidelines with your patients
• Regular updates deliver new supplementary resources as they become available

The print and digital versions enable more effective implementation of The ASAM Criteria in clinical practice, resulting in measurable benefits throughout your organization:

Improved quality of care

Eased workflow

Increased rates of care approval

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New offering - The ASAM Criteria remade into an intuitive and accessible digital tool, full of value-added features that aid in learning and applying the guidelines in clinical practice.

*The annual subscription works out to just $15/month per seat.

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The ASAM Criteria Training Project for North Carolina

• Training Options Overview
• Live Training Details
• Advanced ASAM Training

ASAM Training Dates Now Open for Registration

BACKGROUND:

With approval from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services of North Carolina’s Section 1115 Demonstration Waiver, all licensed behavioral health clinicians contracted with an LME/MCO and/or a Standard Plan to provide assessment or evaluation services who identify a substance use diagnosis as a part of a Comprehensive Clinical Assessment/Diagnostic Assessment must utilize ASAM Criteria to guide treatment recommendations. Additionally, SUD clinical policies and licensure rules will be revised or created to meet The ASAM Criteria 2013 edition of the manual in support of the waiver. LME/MCO and Division of Health Services Regulation staff will require training in ASAM to provide their contract oversight and regulatory roles, respectively. 

• Behavioral health clinicians in North Carolina who are contracted with an LME/MCO or a Standard Plan to provide Comprehensive Clinical Assessment/Diagnostic Assessment.
• LME/MCO staff who provide contract oversight
• Staff from DMHDDSAS, DHB, DSOHF, DHSR, DPH, DSS who have related regulatory roles.

TRAINING OPTIONS:

$250 per person (includes 13 credit hours, hard copy ASAM manual, and training material) .  Organizations purchasing multiple registrations can  buy 3 and get the 4th half off.

2-Day ASAM Criteria Workshop 

Understanding and Applying the ASAM Patient Placement Criteria  

The ASAM Patient Placement Criteria is the most widely used decision-making tool for determining the appropriate Level of Care (treatment setting) for persons with Substance Use Disorders and Co-Occurring Disorders.

This two-day, highly interactive workshop takes a deep dive into understanding and using the ASAM Patient Placement Criteria! During the workshop, attendees will use the ASAM PPC book and become familiar with all the information the book has to offer. Additionally, attendees will participate in small and large group exercises designed to assist with learning about the clinical considerations that come together to determine the ideal level of care (treatment setting) to meet a patient’s needs. We will also complete at least two case studies that allow attendees to apply their learning to a case scenario.

Proper use of the ASAM criteria requires much more from a clinician than completing a checklist of signs and symptoms—it is a tapestry of identifying a patient’s strengths/protective factors, here and now based facts, assessing need and risk in each of the 6 dimensions, knowledge of risk associated with withdrawal from substances of misuse and much more! All of these considerations result in determining the safest and least restrictive environment in which a patient can make decisions about their use and if they choose, with excellent clinical intervention, move into recovery.

Attending this workshop and participating in all of the learning opportunities offered will enable attendees to become more skillful at using the criteria to its fullest.

To be prepared for this two-day, deep dive into the ASAM PPC, please take this pre-test and bring it with you to the first day of training! We will review the answers together and the ‘why’ of the answers when we meet! Think of the pre-test as a tool for your own use—to measure your current knowledge of the ASAM PPC and as a benchmark for what you would like to learn in the workshop as well as a foreshadow of some of the information you will learn by attending the workshop!

Training Dates:                                                           Registration Closing Dates:

September 26 & 27, 2023                                            September 8, 2023

November 6 & 7, 2023                                                 October 20, 2023

Virtual Location  Zoom platform with hosting by https://bhs.unc.edu

Learning Objectives  Participants completing this training will be able to: 

• Discover the intent, spirit and development of the ASAM PPC
• Recognize the resources in the ASAM, 2013 book including considerations for Special Populations and current research implications.
• Describe the 6 dimensions of Multidimensional Assessment that are assessed (with a patient) and how they provide a guide for determining level of care placement.
• Describe how to determine and rate risk and severity within each dimension.
• Identify ASAM-defined levels of care (LOC) and what services and treatment modalities are needed within each LOC.
• Practice applying the decision flow to a case and determining a LOC.
• Describe the Dimensional and Diagnostic Admission Criteria/Rules for various Levels of Care.
• Describe strategies for managing placement disagreement with referral sources or intra-treatment team-Decisional Flow and other ASAM recommendations.
• Discuss strategies to identify implementation challenges in their unique settings

Day 1 – 8:30a.m. – 4:30p.m. EST

8:30– 8:45  -------      Introductions; Goals; Pre-quiz 

8:45 – 9:45  -------      The intent and the spirit of the ASAM PPC (2013) edition; Identify and use the resources in the book 

9:45 10:00 -------        Break

10:00 – 12:00 -------   The Components of the Six Dimensional Assessment 

12:00 – 1:00   -------   Lunch

1:00 – 2:45  -------     Determining and rating risk and severity within the 6 dimensions 

2:45 – 3:00   ------     Break

3:00 – 4:30   -------    Application of Dimensional Assessment to client cases 

Day 2 – 8:30a.m. – 4:30p.m. EST

8:30 – 8:45  ------      Review of Day One principles 

8:45- 9:45  ------       Introduce the Levels of Care; discuss the influence of Stage of Change and Medical Necessity on LOC considerations re: client placement

9:45 – 10:00  ------   Break

10:00 – 12:00 ------  What are the Dimensional and Diagnostic Admission Criteria for the Levels of Care 

12:00 – 1:00  ------  Lunch

1:00 – 2:45  ------    Apply Dimensional Assessment, the LOC and the Dimensional and Diagnostic Admission Criteria to Client Cases (Managing payer source and/or treatment team/stakeholder disagreements on LOC) 

2:45 – 3:00 -------    Break

3:00 – 4:30 -------    Application/Discussion of assessment, placement and intensity of service continues with group discussion; post-quiz 

Registration New training dates now open for fall 2023!

Registration fee:   $250 per person.  Organizations purchasing multiple registrations can  buy 3 and get the 4th half off.  The registration fee is specific to the dates selected and is not transferrable to a different date. Fee includes 13 contact hours and a hard copy of The ASAM Criteria manual.

Refunds  Refunds will be issued up to 2 weeks before the training date.

Requests for Accommodations:

Registrants requiring any of the auxiliary aids or services identified in the Americans with Disabilities Act to participate in our training programs, please contact us by email at [email protected] or by phone at (919) 445-0990 after completing registration to ensure we have enough time to secure the requested services.

Contact for Questions: [email protected] (919) 445-0990

Continuing Education

Full attendance is required to receive credit; no partial credit will be given.

All participants completing the training will be issued a certificate of completion demonstrating 13 contact hours .

NBCC:  The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6642.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.  13 contact hours

NCASPPB: This course has been submitted to the North Carolina Addictions Specialist Professional Practice Board for up to 13 SS (EBT) contact hours. Approval #: 23-573-S

Registration Confirmation Notices and Certificates of Completion:

Registration fee is $250, and participants must register at least 2 weeks in advance of the training date to attend. We will confirm your registration by email. Successful completion includes being logged in and virtually participating for the entire two days. Immediately after the training concludes participants will receive an email notifying them of the process and the manner, they will gain access to the evaluation and the certificate of completion for the training. The Certificate of Completion email will go within 5 business days after the training concludes to participants who met the time requirement listed in the continuing education policy based on the length of the training. Fees include credit hours, a hard copy ASAM manual, and training material.

Advanced ASAM Patient Placement Criteria:

 A One-Day Workshop to Further Enhance Skills Application

If you are a practitioner who has attended an initial ASAM PPC training and want further information and support in applying that knowledge to client/patient cases--this is the workshop for you!  Spend a day discussing any areas of confusion or nuance from the original training and more practice applying your learned assessment skills to clinical cases.  If you are involved in Care Authorization, this is an opportunity to fine tune your skills in determining a response to requests for authorization for care for those clients/patients with SUD or Co-occurring Disorders.

Training Dates:                                                          Registration Closing Dates:

October 26, 2023                                                        October 23, 2023

December 12, 2023                                                    December 8, 2023

Pre-Requisites:

•  Attendance in a 12+ hour ASAM PPC training.
• Practice in applying the PPC to ‘real life’ client/patient cases.
• Read the book, prior to the workshop, ASAM PPC (2013.)
• Have access to the ASAM PPC (2013) book for the workshop.
• Please be prepared to discuss areas of challenge or confusion in applying the ASAM PPC.
• Practice applying the information learned in the initial ASAM PPC training to more detailed patient cases.  Practice, practice, practice!
• Learn nuanced clinical consideration around risk, readiness for change and subsequent level of care recommendation.
• Be able to identify the answers to areas of confusion in understanding or applying the ASAM PPC to client/patient cases.

Agenda - Advanced One Day ASAM Criteria Skill Building Training

Day 1 – 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. EST

8:30 am – 10 am          Lecture materials/activities (1.5 hour)

10 am – 10:15 am       Break

10:15 am – 12:00 pm Lecture materials/activities (1.75 hours)

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm    Lunch

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm      Lecture materials/activities (1.5 hours)

2:30 pm – 2:45 pm      Break

2:45 pm – 4 pm           Lecture materials/activities (1.25 hours)

Registration  New training dates are now open for fall 2023!

Registration fee:    $150 per person. The registration fee is specific to the dates selected and is not transferrable to a different date. The fee includes 6 contact hours. 

Refunds   Refunds will be issued up to 1 week before the training date.

Contact for Questions:  [email protected] (919) 445-0990

All participants completing the training will be issued a certificate of completion demonstrating 6 contact hours .

NBCC: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6642.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.  6 contact hours

NCASPPB: This course has been submitted to the North Carolina Addictions Specialist Professional Practice Board for up to 6 SS (EBT) contact hours. Approval #: 

Registration fee is $150, and participants must register at least 2 weeks in advance of the training date to attend. We will confirm your registration by email. Successful completion includes being logged in and virtually participating for the entire two days. Immediately after the training concludes participants will receive an email notifying them of the process and the manner, they will gain access to the evaluation and the certificate of completion for the training. The Certificate of Completion email will go within 5 business days after the training concludes to participants who met the time requirement listed in the continuing education policy based on the length of the training. Fees include credit hours, a hard copy ASAM manual, and training material.

Presenters for the Live Webinar Training Sessions

Laurie Contay

She is EMDR Level 1 trained, DBT trained, Seven Challenges trained and trained in Jeff and Debra Jay’s “Love First Clinical Interventions.” Laurie was awarded a Letter of Commendation from Fairfax County, VA Community Services Board for developing, implementing and managing the first community-based apartment program for adults with co-occurring disorders to live, work and practice their recovery in the community.

She has held Clinical Faculty appointments at both Duke University and UNC-CH, in their respective Departments of Psychiatry. In 2004, she was named Clinical Social Worker of the Year, for her work in advocating and exemplifying best practice, including integrated care.

Laurie provides Motivational Interviewing training and coaching and is a MINT Certified Trainer. She enthusiastically assists agencies and clinics in implementing MI and ASAM fidelity into their treatment culture. During 2018-2019 she worked with Train for Change/The Change Companies providing ASAM training at various sites throughout the US.

In addition to training and consultation, she provides outpatient therapy and interventions through her practice, in Sanford, NC.

ASAM Criteria

The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)  ASAM Criteria  is the most widely used and comprehensive set of guidelines for placement, continued stay, transfer, or discharge of patients with addiction and co-occurring conditions. Formerly known as the ASAM patient placement criteria,  The ASAM Criteria is the result of a collaboration that began in the 1980s to define one national set of criteria for providing outcome- oriented and results-based care in the treatment of addiction. The ASAM Criteria is useful to patients, treatment providers, managed care providers, and other stakeholders and professionals.

Many states across the country are using The ASAM Criteria as the foundation of their efforts to improve the addiction treatment system. Adolescent and adult treatment plans are developed through a multidimensional patient assessment over five broad levels of treatment that are based on the degree of direct medical management provided, the structure, safety and security provided and the intensity of treatment services provided.

• Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)
• Behavioral Health
• Evidence-Based Practices
• Practice Guidelines
• Substance Use Disorder

Quality Care

Publications, state implementation.

ASAM Criteria

ASAM's Fair Use guidelines allow states to use The ASAM Criteria® in laws, regulations, and policies free of charge and with no permission agreement.

Home ASAM Criteria State Implementation

ASAM has a responsibility – to providers, payers, regulators, patients, and their families – to ensure. The ASAM Criteria continues to be equated with high-quality care proven to be effective in addiction treatment.  We identified four pillars for successful state implementation-Aligned administrative rules with the ASAM Criteria, facilitated discussions about the change process with ASAM support, enhanced collaboration using the implementation tools, and fostering bi-directional insights into state adoption & learning for process improvement.

Providing education on The ASAM Criteria® including basic introductory training, falls within fair use and does not require a permissions agreement.

Providing more in-depth training, including activities that support the development of the knowledge and skills required to implement The ASAM Criteria, does require a permission agreement. This permission agreement is available to states free of charge and allows state employees to provide The ASAM Criteria training or technical assistance.

ASAM's Fair Use guidelines allow states to use The ASAM Criteria in laws, regulations, and policies free of charge and with no permission agreement. Providing education on The ASAM Criteria, including basic introductory training, falls within fair use and does not require a permissions agreement.

State or government entities, learn how to implement the ASAM Criteria using fair use guidelines by contacting:

Orlando Wright, Phd., LCSW-C Director, Partnerships & Innovation Phone: 301.547.4138 e: [email protected]