Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT), including opioid treatment programs (OTPs), combines behavioral therapy and medications to treat substance use disorders.

Certifications of OTPs

Find directions to:

Regional OTP Compliance Officers within SAMHSA's Division of Pharmacologic Therapies (DPT) determine whether an OTP is qualified to carry out opioid treatment.

Oversight of OTP Accrediting Bodies

SAMHSA appoints eligible nonprofit organizations and governmental entities to be OTP accrediting bodies.

Access Form SMA-163: Application for Approval as Accreditation Body.

Find contact information for existing SAMHSA-Approved OTP Accrediting Bodies.

Training Materials and Provider Resources

Legislation, Regulations, and Guidelines

MAT for opioid addiction is subject to federal legislation, regulations, and guidelines, including DATA 2000 and federal regulation 42 CFR 8.

SAMHSA's Dear Colleague Letters offer providers of MAT services guidance on emerging issues related to opioid treatment.

Access Model Guidelines for State Medical Boards.

Learn more about special circumstances for providing buprenorphine.

Publications

NPs and PAs Waivers

Nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) can now train and apply to become DATA-Waiver practitioners. Learn more and sign up for training.

Review SAMHSA's proposed learning objectives for the NP and PA waiver training.

Buprenorphine Waiver Management

To prescribe or dispense buprenorphine, physicians must qualify and apply for a waiver under the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA 2000).

Physicians can complete the Online Request for Patient Limit Increase.

Physicians are also required to complete buprenorphine training.

Learn more about how to:

Physicians can join the SAMHSA Buprenorphine Clinical Discussion WebBoard to ask and discuss questions on the clinical use of buprenorphine.

Medication and Counseling Treatment

A combination of medication and counseling and behavioral therapy is effective in treating alcohol and opioid dependency.

Find information on physical ailments often diagnosed in MAT patients. Also known as common comorbidities, these include viral hepatitis, HIV, and AIDS.

Physician and Program Data

Under DATA 2000, SAMHSA:

Last Updated: 11/22/2016

New Federal Regulations Increase Limit Rule to 275 Patients

Physicians who have prescribed buprenorphine to 100 patients for at least one year can now apply to increase their patient limits to 275 under new federal regulations. For more information, send an email to infobuprenorphine@samhsa.hhs.gov or call 866-BUP-CSAT (866-287-2728).

To be considered for the higher limit, complete the Online Request for Patient Limit Increase. SAMHSA reviews applications within 45 days of receipt.

To learn more about the new rule, review the following publications:

SAMHSA's Letter on the Expansion of Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder – 2016 (PDF | 234 KB)
Understanding the Final Rule for a Patient Limit of 275 – 2016 (PDF | 163 KB), a guidance document to help determine your eligibility for the new, higher patient limit based on your credentials or features of your practice setting
Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders, the final rule from the Federal Register

Contact Us

For information on buprenorphine treatment, contact the SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) at 866-BUP-CSAT (866-287-2728) or infobuprenorphine@samhsa.hhs.gov.

For information about other medication-assisted treatment (MAT) or the certification of opioid treatment programs (OTPs), contact the SAMHSA Division of Pharmacologic Therapies at 240-276-2700 or otp-extranet@opioid.samhsa.gov.

Contact SAMHSA’s regional OTP Compliance Officers to determine if an OTP is qualified to provide treatment for substance use disorders.

Browse by Publication Type

Most Recent Reports & Documents

Emergency Department Data / DAWN

Featured Report

Drug Abuse Warning Network, 2011: National Estimates of Drug-Related Emergency Department Visits
This publication presents national estimates of drug-related visits to hospital emergency departments (EDs) for the calendar year 2011, based on data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN). Also presented are comparisons of 2011 estimates with those for 2004, 2009, and 2010. DAWN is a public health surveillance system that monitors drug-related ED visits for the Nation and for selected metropolitan areas. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is the agency responsible for DAWN. SAMHSA is required to collect data on drug-related ED visits under Section 505 of the Public Health Service Act.
> Read More about Drug Abuse Warning Network

Substance Abuse Facilities Data / NSSATS

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National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS): 2012
This report presents results from the 2012 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS), an annual census of facilities providing substance abuse treatment. Con- ducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), N-SSATS is designed to collect data on the location, characteristics, and use of alcohol and drug abuse treatment facilities and services throughout the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and other U.S. jurisdic- tions. It is important to note that values in charts, narrative lists, and percentage distributions are calculated using actual raw numbers and rounded for presentation in this report; calculations using rounded values may produce different results.
> Read More about National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services

Mental Health Facilities Data / NMHSS

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National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS): 2010
This report presents findings from the 2010 National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS) conducted from June 2010 through January 2011 with a reference date of April 30, 2010. The N MHSS collects information from all known facilities1 in the United States, both public and private, that provide mental health treatment services to persons with mental illness.
> Read More about National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS)

Client Level Data / TEDS

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Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) 2002 - 2012
This report presents national-level data from the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) for admissions in 2012 and trend data for 2002 to 2012. The report provides information on the demographic and substance abuse characteristics of admissions to treatment aged 12 and older for abuse of alcohol and/or drugs in facilities that report to individual state administrative data systems. It is important to note that values in charts, narrative lists, and percentage distributions are calculated using actual raw numbers and rounded for presentation in this report; calculations using rounded values may produce different results.
> Read More about Treatment Episode Data Set

Population Data / NSDUH

Featured Report

Results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings
This report and the detailed tables present a first look at results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an annual survey of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the United States aged 12 years old or older. Both the report and detailed tables present national estimates of rates of use, numbers of users, and other measures related to illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco products, with a focus on trends between 2012 and 2013 and from 2002 to 2013, as well as differences across population subgroups in 2013. NSDUH national estimates related to mental health and NSDUH State-level estimates related to both substance use and mental health will be published in separate releases in the fall of 2014.
> Read More about Results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings

Evaluation & Services

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Behavioral Health Barometer - United States, 2013
This is the first edition of the Behavioral Health Barometer: United States, one of a series of State and national reports that provide a snapshot of the state of behavioral health in the Nation. This national report presents a set of substance use and mental health indicators as measured through data collection efforts sponsored by SAMHSA (the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the Youth Risk Behavior Survey), and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (the Monitoring the Future survey). Also included are data on the use of mental health and substance use treatment services by Medicare enrollees, as reported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This array of indicators provides a unique overview of the Nation's behavioral health at a point in time as well as a mechanism for tracking change and trends over time.
> Read More about Behavioral Health Barometer - United States, 2013

Quality Metrics

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National Behavioral Health Quality Framework
The NBHQF provides a mechanism to examine and prioritize quality prevention, treatment, and recovery elements at the payer/system/plan, provider/practitioner, and patient/population levels. The NBHQF is aligned with the NQS in that it supports the three broad aims of better care, healthy people/healthy communities, and affordable care. However, it was specifically broadened to include the dissemination of proven interventions and accessible care. The latter concept encompasses affordable care, along with other elements of care accessibility, including the impact of health disparities.
> Read More about National Behavioral Health Quality Framework

Behavioral Health Outcomes

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Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)