Dealing With Addiction
Covering the Cost of Treatment
In April 2008 the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy extended a new medical benefit to 5.6 million federal workers. These employees can now undergo substance abuse screening and brief intervention with their primary physician.
Before, said Roman, there was little motivation for a family doctor to get involved in a patient's alcohol or drug abuse problem. Now, doctors can refer patients to a specialist who can provide the needed treatment—and be reimbursed for doing so.
Screening and brief intervention is an early, evidence-based medical procedure. It opens a dialogue between doctor and patient about the problems of drug abuse, the risks of addiction, and offers strategies to help patients cope.
—RM