Washington, Dec. 7, 2024—A story published in The New York Times on Dec. 7 has prompted NABH to clarify the purpose and critical need for opioid treatment programs (OTPs) in the United States. 

NABH is concerned the article’s incomplete picture of how OTP treatment works could contribute to what is already a stigmatized disease in an environment where patients should be encouraged to seek the care they need desperately. OTPs are among the most regulated facilities in the healthcare system and provide lifesaving care every day. 

Millions of Americans struggle with opioid addiction, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports more than 81,000 Americans died from an opioid-related overdose in 2023.

NABH member facilities, including those that Acadia Healthcare operates, provide a lifeline to those in need. Opioid treatment programs provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT), which combines U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications, behavioral therapies, and wraparound support services. MAT is the most effective intervention to treat opioid use disorder and is proven to reduce overdose fatalities by up to 60%.^[1] Meanwhile, the U.S. Surgeon General has called MAT the “gold standard” for treating opioid use disorder (OUD).^[2] OTPs provide MAT while addressing patients’ unique needs, reducing barriers to care, and implementing safeguards that support long-term recovery and sustained treatment engagement.

It is important to understand that treatment at OTPs is voluntary, and staff members see patients only after patients make the decision to seek treatment. Patients benefit from the expertise of a multidisciplinary team including physicians, nurses, counselors, clinicians, peer recovery specialists, and case managers, and patients can choose to start or complete treatment based on their own decisions and unique circumstances.

In addition, OTPs are subject to strict regulations and are required by law to employ a licensed physician who oversees all medical services provided to patients based on rigorous clinical guidelines. OTPs are also accredited and regularly inspected to uphold high standards of care, and, in many cases, our members exceed the state and federal regulatory requirements needed to maintain their licenses. These providers invest heavily in staff, training and medical care, counseling, case management and wraparound support— services that often exceed what insurance will reimburse. 

Our members see firsthand the growing lethality of drug use and the severe ramifications of individuals not being able to receive needed treatment right away. Yet only 1 out of 5 people living with OUD are receiving needed treatment.^[3] Early intervention is critical, with scientific research showing significantly better outcomes for patients who receive comprehensive care compared with those who don’t. 

NABH strongly supports the potential of recent federal efforts to expand access to care through telehealth services, expanded methadone take-home privileges, and other flexibilities offered through regulatory revisions. However, we continue to express serious concerns regarding the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act (MOTAA) due to the potential unintended consequences and harms that may result from legislation proposing such abrupt and expansive regulatory changes. 

And we are not alone. Other stakeholders have also expressed significant concerns, including six of the nation’s largest law enforcement organizations. For more information about this issue, please see NABH’s letter to House and Senate leaders on Dec. 4, 2024.

OTP facilities play a vital role in addressing the nation’s opioid and addiction crises, and it is imperative that we continue to support providers who do this important work so people in need can immediately access the personalized care, treatment options, and ongoing support services they need to achieve long-term recovery.

About NABH

The National Association for Behavioral Healthcare (NABH) represents provider systems that treat children, adolescents, adults, and older adults with mental health and substance use disorders in inpatient behavioral healthcare hospitals and units, residential treatment facilities, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs, medication assisted treatment centers, specialty outpatient behavioral healthcare programs, and recovery support services in 49 states and Washington, D.C. The association was founded in 1933.

^[1] NIH news release, June 19, 2018    

^[2] Psychiatric News, 2018

^[3] NIH News Release, Aug.7, 2023