TIP 10:  Assessment and Treatment Planning for Cocaine-Abusing Methadone-Maintained Patients: Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 10

Disclaimer

This publication is part of the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant technical assistance program. The figure on page 6, the table on page 29, appendix G, and appendix I are copyrighted and are reproduced herein with permission of the copyright holders. Further reproduction of these copyrighted materials is permitted only as part of a reprinting of the entire publication. For any other use, the copyright holder's permission is required. All other material appearing in this volume is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) or the authors. Citation of the source is appreciated.

This publication was written under contract number ADM 270-91-0004 from CSAT. Robert Lubran served as the Government project officer. Lynne C. McArthur, Yvonne P. Goldsberry, Yvonne daSilva, Anita Winters, Rebecca Horton, and Diana Schwartz served as contractor writers.

The opinions expressed herein are those of the Consensus Panel members and do not reflect the official position of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) or any other part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). No official support or endorsement of SAMHSA or DHHS is intended or should be inferred. The guidelines proffered in this document should not be considered as substitutes for individualized patient care and treatment decisions.

What Is a TIP?

Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs) are prepared by the Quality Assurance and Evaluation Branch of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). Their purpose is to facilitate the transfer of state-of-the-art protocols and guidelines for treating alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse from acknowledged clinical, research, and administrative experts to the Nation's AOD abuse treatment resources. Disseminating a TIP is the last step in a process that begins with the recommendation of an AOD abuse problem area for consideration by a panel of experts. Panel members include clinicians, researchers, and program managers, as well as professionals in related fields such as social services or criminal justice.

Once a topic has been selected, CSAT creates a Federal Resource Panel, composed of members of pertinent Federal agencies and national organizations, to review the state-of-the-art treatment and program management in the area selected. This Federal panel's recommendations are then transmitted to a second group of non-Federal experts who are intimately familiar with the topic. This group, known as a non-Federal Consensus Panel, meets for about 3 days, makes recommendations, defines protocols, and arrives at agreement on protocols. Its members represent AOD abuse treatment programs, hospitals, community health centers, counseling programs, criminal justice and child welfare agencies, and private practitioners. The panel chair is charged with ensuring that the resulting protocol reflects true group consensus.

The next step is a review of the proposed guidelines and protocol by a third group-the expert field reviewers. Once their recommendations and responses have been reviewed, the chair approves the document for publication. The result is a TIP reflecting the state of the art of AOD abuse treatment in public and private programs recognized for providing high-quality and innovative AOD abuse treatment.

This TIP on assessment and treatment planning for cocaine-abusing methadone-maintained patients represents another step by CSAT toward its goal of bringing national leadership to bear in the effort to improve AOD abuse treatment.