Last week, the Addiction Policy Forum joined the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP), the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), the National Council on Mental Wellbeing, and other national organizations to urge the current administration to lift the current $75 max restriction on many federal grant programs on patient incentives for recovery behaviors or Contingency Management (CM) from opioid, stimulant, and alcohol use disorders.
The letter states: "The current $75 cap policy contradicts over six decades of scientific research supporting the efficacy of higher incentives. It also fails to recognize the legality of higher incentive amounts, given an Advisory Opinion from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), which allows for up to $599 per patient per year."
Given the severity of the addiction epidemic and the strong scientific foundation for Contingency Management, APF joined other national leaders in urging the administration to increase the patient incentive cap to enhance treatment recovery outcomes.
Contingency management involves giving tangible rewards to individuals to support positive behavior change and has been found to be effective in treating SUDs. In this therapy, patients receive a gift card or voucher when they exhibit desired behavior, such as drug-free urine tests or participation in treatment activities.
Clinical studies have shown that contingency management results in better treatment engagement for patients and longer periods of abstinence. Studies have shown effectiveness for individuals with cocaine use disorder, as well as those struggling with alcohol, opioid, and methamphetamine use disorders. Contingency management may be combined with other therapies or treatment components like CBT.
For more information on contingency management, click here.