K1 – Who’s Assisting Whom? Dovetailing Medication Assisted Treatment and PCBH to Address Opioid Use Disorder within a Family Medicine Residency Program

Summary

As the treatment model for chronic/relapsing substance use disorders in the United States continues to shift from episodic treatment to continuing care, primary care is uniquely positioned to serve those struggling with Opioid Use Disorder, both with Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) and with the support of Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH). The CentraCare Family Health Clinic adopted the PCBH model in the fall of 2015 and began prescribing buprenorphine-naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder in the summer of 2016. As the programs developed and grew concurrently, behavioral health providers have been involved with the MAT program since its beginning. Since 2016, the program has grown from one waivered prescriber to six, along with a group of 11 second- and third-year family medicine residents, increasing the need for structured support. The next phase in our program is to adjust policy, practice, and workflow in our clinic to further integrate behavioral health providers into MAT. This presentation will focus on the current literature around behavioral health support of MAT, the need for a greater base of evidence-based practice, and the progress that one clinic has made in utilizing MAT and PCBH to address the opioid crisis. It will also invite open conversation amongst attendees to promote learning through shared experiences. Special consideration will be given to the implications for rural communities – both through the training of Family Medicine residents, many of whom will further their careers in rural clinics, and the utilization of established tele-IBH services within our organization’s rural clinic settings.