THE ASAM CRITERIA & DSM 5
To support outcome-oriented care in the treatment of substance use disorders, the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (IDHS/SUPR) is providing two important books to each IDHS/SUPR licensed treatment organization - The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) and The ASAM Criteria: Treatment Criteria for Addictive, Substance-Related, and Co-Occurring Conditions, Third Edition. The DSM-5 defines and classifies mental disorders and is used by clinicians to diagnose and develop treatment recommendations for adolescents and adults. The ASAM Criteria provides a comprehensive set of guidelines for placement, continued stay and transfer/discharge of patients with substance use disorders.
Each resource is being sent by the vendor directly to your organization. The authorized program representative at each IDHS/SUPR licensed treatment organization will receive two mailings-one for each resource.
IDHS/SUPR is providing these resources to support the use of The ASAM Criteria and DSM-5 in the delivery of your organization's treatment services. This may include:
- Updating your organization's assessment tool to ensure it references the most current DSM-5 criteria;
- Strengthening the assessment tool to fully address all six ASAM dimensions;
- Identifying the most appropriate level of care for your patients;
- Developing patient-centered treatment plans;
- Determining the appropriate level of care during a continued stay review; or
- Developing comprehensive discharge summaries.
These valuable resources are great reference tools for staff providing clinical services. IDHS/SUPR highly encourages the authorized program representative to share these resources with clinical supervisors/directors as well as spending time introducing these resources to your staff.
IDHS/SUPR also encourages the authorized program representative to store the resources in an accessible area so that staff who need to use these resources can refer to them while making decisions about patient's care. Because this is a one-time distribution of the resources, these resources should be considered property of your organization and part of your organization's inventory as this is an asset purchased by IDHS/SUPR.
In addition, The ASAM Criteria: Treatment Criteria for Addictive, Substance-Related, and Co-Occurring Conditions, Third Edition book is reviewed during the one-day and two-day ASAM trainings sponsored by IDHS/SUPR. During the ASAM trainings, participants were informed the book is being sent to each organization.
Due to the high interest in the ASAM trainings, IDHS/SUPR created a waiting list and intends to offer additional trainings during this fiscal year. Moreover, IDHS/SUPR will be offering training and technical assistance that will address a myriad of topic areas of interest to providers engaged in treatment and recovery support services. Additional information will be forthcoming, and we hope you take advantage of these opportunities. If your organization is interested in technical assistance or training, please contact Kimberly Fornero, Administrator of Compliance and Monitoring at Kimberly.Fornero@illinois.gov
IDHS/SUPR hopes that you find these resources beneficial in the provision of your treatment services.
