Headline

This case example details the main elements of a hospital-based addiction care consultation team.

Context

People with substance use disorders (SUD) are increasingly admitted to hospitals due to SUD-related medical concerns however, most hospitals are not equipped to provide integrated medical and SUD care. This paper, which describes the core elements of a hospital-based SUD intervention called the Improving Addiction Care Team (IMPACT) in Oregon, can help other medical providers and staff understand why and how to implement interprofessional interventions for people with SUD in hospital settings. The authors are the program designers and practitioners who developed this case study based on earlier studies of the program and lessons learned over three years of program implementation.

Findings

This case study includes:

• Overview of in-hospital workflow and how all activities are grounded in values of trauma-informed care, harm reduction and advocacy;
• Descriptions of IMPACT’s staff and their primary responsibilities, including various medical practitioners, social workers, and peer mentors;
• Summarizes IMPACT’s approach to billing for staff coverage, care coordination, and development of treatment pathways in the community;
• Presentation of a case example regarding a patient with multiple co-morbidities; and
• Appendices in supplemental digital content include medication induction protocols, social work tools, advocacy tools, and other useful documents (e.g., sample letter to judge/parole officer, buprenorphine fact sheet).

Takeaways

This paper and included tools can be used and adapted by other hospital systems to design hospital-based addiction interventions that fit their local needs.