Writing a feature article: not all articles are alike.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Luc R Pelletier.
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has enforced federal requirements related to the use of methadone since 1972; regulations essentially have not changed for nearly 30 years. With Congress' recently released federal regulations for opioid treatment programs (OTPs), however, oversight of OTPs has shifted from the FDA to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment developed guidelines for accreditation agencies such as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and The Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission...CARF to develop standards for OTPs. Preliminary findings show that OTPs are indeed able to meet these accreditation standards. This article reviews the need for the changes, the history of methadone treatment oversight, the development of accreditation requirements, stakeholders' initial response to the proposed regulations, and performance domains of importance to OTPs.
As a result of new federal regulations released in early 2001 that move the monitoring and evaluation of opioid treatment programs from a government regulation to an accreditation model, program staff members are now being challenged to develop performance measurement systems that improve care and service. Using measurement selection criteria is the first step in developing a performance measurement system as a component of an overall quality management (QM) strategy. Opioid treatment programs can "leapfrog" the development of such systems by using lessons learned from the healthcare quality industry. This article reviews performance measurement definitions, proposes performance measurement selection criteria, and makes a business case for Internet automation and accessibility. Performance measurement sets that are appropriate for opioid treatment programs are proposed, followed by a discussion on how performance measurement can be used within a comprehensive QM program. It is hoped that through development, adoption, and implementation of such a performance measurement program, treatment for clients and their families will continuously improve.
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