Maryland doctors can get reimbursed for identifying and treating drug abusers, the Bush administration announced this week.
The move marks a dramatic shift towards treating drug abuse as a medical issue rather than a social failing, Baltimore doctors said.
“It?s definitely a step in the right direction,” said Dr. Christopher Welsh, a psychiatrist with the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “There?s a lot of good evidence that for people who are early in having problems with drugs or alcohol, a few minutes with a physician can make a lot of difference. More serious problems can be referred to a treatment program.”
Screening and early intervention is gaining ground as a way to help individuals and win the war on drugs from the inside, according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, which released the information. Early intervention also saves health care dollars.
“These states have taken an historic step in transforming substance abuse in the United States,” said Dr. Bertha K. Madras, deputy director for demand reduction at ONDCP. “By ?medicalizing? the detection and intervention of substance abuse, the 10 states recognize the need to de-stigmatize substance abuse, and mainstream preventive services into general medical care.”
In addition to Maryland, other states offering the reimbursements are Wisconsin, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia, and the state of Washington.
