ATLAS Platform to Measure Quality of Treatment, Link Patients to Care

A new site is launching next month with the aim of bringing more uniformity to the measurement of addiction treatment and helping patients find care with standardized information on the quality of facilities.

ATLAS (Addiction Treatment Locator, Assessment, and Standards tool) is a web-based platform that will allow users to locate and compare facilities. The platform, scheduled to launch July 22, also has a portal through which providers can conduct data-driven quality improvement initiatives. Information inputted into the portal can used by states and payers to identify high-quality care and make decisions on the deployment of addiction treatment training and technical assistance resources.

ATLAS was developed in collaboration between the not-for-profit advocacy group Shatterproof and a host of providers, payers and other advocates. In its first phase, the platform is being implemented in six states, with a phased expansion into additional states to follow.

The platform was developed with eight core principles of care as its guide:

• Universal screening for substance use disorders across medical settings
• Rapid access to appropriate SUD care
• Personalized diagnosis, assessment and treatment
• Continuing long-term outpatient care
• Concurrent coordinated care for physical and mental health
• Access to trained behavioral healthcare professionals
• Access to FDA-approved medications
• Access to non-medical recovery support services

“Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease that can be treated with the same effectiveness as other illnesses when using evidence-based best practices,” Shatterproof founder and CEO Gary Mendell said in a news release. “Tragically, though, the quality of care varies widely among addiction treatment programs and individuals looking for care can’t identify high-quality programs. It is time that a standard be set across all of addiction treatment, and that the entire system aligns behind evidence-based care.

Editor's note: This story was edited to correct the launch date for ATLAS.