MAT Committee Meeting Minutes - April 14, 2017

Chair: Ron Vlasty

Committee Members Attending in Person/Phone: Meryl Sosa, Eric Foster, Seth Eisenberg, Juliegh Nowinski Konchak, Elizabeth Salisbury Afshar

DASA & AHP Representatives: Kim Fornero, Sue Pickett

Welcome and Introductions

Ron welcomed the group and shared that Assistant Secretary Bruni has instructed the committees to focus on goals and metrics. The focus of the meeting today is to develop metrics for the following goal:

Goal: Everyone in Illinois who wants and needs MAT services for opiate use disorder (OUD) has access to it

Action Steps:

  1. Develop a user-friendly tool that assists any professional who wants to prescribe MAT how to do it; and
  2. disseminate the tool.

Discussion: Metrics

  • The group discussed metrics related to disseminating the tool, with the end goal of increasing access to MAT services. We need baseline data in order to establish appropriate, achievable metrics. For example, we can't recommend a specific increase in the number of buprenorphine prescribers without first knowing the current number of prescribers statewide.
  • The first set of metrics targets buprenorphine prescribers. Baseline data is needed for the following:
    • of prescribers in IL who have a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine
    • of prescribers in IL who have a waiver to prescribe but are not prescribing buprenorphine
    • of prescribers in IL who are prescribing buprenorphine
    • of unduplicated patients in IL who received a prescription for buprenorphine
    • of prescribers per geographic area who
      1. are prescribing buprenorphine; and
      2. those who have a waiver and are not prescribing buprenorphine
  • DEA has the most accurate, complete list of prescribers who have waivers. PMP also has these data; Elizabeth has reached out to PMP to obtain these data but hasn't received a reply. Kim, Sue, Ron and Seth will reach out to respective contacts at DASA and DEA about obtaining these data.
  • A second set of metrics targets providers of behavioral healthcare services. Proposed metrics focus on expanding the number of MAT providers. To set these metrics, baseline data is needed for the following:
    • of licensed DASA providers that are providing MAT - total in IL and by geographic regions
    • of licensed DMH providers that are providing MAT - total in IL and by geographic regions
    • of hospitals providing MAT - total in IL and by geographic regions
    • of FQHCs and FQHC look-alikes that are providing MAT - total in IL and by geographic regions
    • # of FQHCs that are receiving federal dollars to provide MAT - total in IL and by geographic regions
  • of jails/prisons that are providing MAT (Vivitrol) - total in IL and by geographic regions
  • A third set of metrics targets distribution and expansion of MAT. Baseline data is needed on the following:
    • of people receiving methadone in IL
    • of hospital/ED opiate-related visits/admissions
    • Geographic distribution of methadone by population size
    • Buprenorphine distribution
    • Vivitrol distribution beyond what's publicly-funded
    • Kim, Sue and Ron will reach out to their respective contacts at Alkermes, DASA, and the Illinois Primary Healthcare Association about baseline data for the second and third sets of metrics.
  • Additional metrics to discuss in future meetings:
    • Increasing awareness of MAT; fostering champions to encourage more providers/physicians to prescribe MAT
    • Reaching out to county and city health departments to advocate and promote MAT- this is an education/partnership goal the group would like to pursue