A collaborative opioid prescribing (CoOP) model linking opioid treatment programs with office-based buprenorphine providers

Abstract

This presentation describes a collaborative care model in an addiction treatment program with an opioid treatment program component partnered with community medical practices in order to: 1) increase the willingness of primary care physicians to deliver office-based opioid treatment (OBOT) with buprenorphine; and 2) enhance the quality of care for patients receiving OBOT services. A collaborative opioid prescribing (CoOP) model was devised, linking primary care sites with an addiction treatment program (Johns Hopkins Broadway Center; JHBC), such that JHBC provided the initial assessment, medication induction/stabilization, and ongoing counseling, while the primary care sites provided OBOT. An adaptive stepped-care model adjusts counseling attendance and medication prescribing/dispensing based on ongoing indicators of treatment response. When necessary, medication dispensing is shifted between the OBOT and JHBC dispensary sites, and care is coordinated during the entire treatment episode. Early evaluation of this model has been very promising.