The World Health Organization has published the results of their Phase III ASSIST study an international effort examining the impact of Brief Interventions on a variety of substances. Of great interest, they found that brief interventions DID reduce the use of substances other than alcohol. I am not sure, but this may be the first report of such an impact. (cached copy of pdf) or read more ...

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) services have
been implemented as the standard of care for patients in the Harris County Hospital District
(HCHD). The present analysis addresses alcohol and drug use for patients admitted over a
39-month period from July 1, 2005 through September 30, 2008. read more ...

"Screening and brief intervention (SBI) for addictions and other behavioral problems could save billions in healthcare costs if widely implemented as a component of national healthcare reform. But experts say that the programs need to be introduced in a systemic fashion to be effective and avoid overburdening physicians."

Read the Join Together report: Screening and Brief Intervention: Making a Public Health Difference. read more ...

The Washington state SBIRT team has created a great  training manual for staff in acute medical settings (pdf)

This is a “how to” manual to guide clinicians who have some
experience in patient counseling to perform Screening, Brief
Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT). It’s like a book of
recipes for chefs who already know how to cook. It is not a book
about how to perform basic counseling techniques.

 

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) services have been implemented as the standard of care for patients in the Harris County Hospital District(HCHD). The present analysis addresses alcohol and drug use for patients admitted over a 39-month period from July 1, 2005 through September 30, 2008. read more ...

MOSBIRT presents at 2010 Missouri Department of Mental Health's Spring Training Institute (STI).  Slides (4MB) - Handouts (1 MB) - Photos

 

SBIRT Wisconsin Stakeholder Testimonial from Joan Fischer on Vimeo.

 

Patients Speak for SBIRT Wisconsin from Joan Fischer on Vimeo.

 

When presented with their own substance use risks, individuals will doing something about it. In a February 2010 report by Goplerud and McPherson (pdf), 78% of EAP recipients from a large financial services company who were identified as having potential alcohol use risks agreed to receive telephone based followup and 72% agreed to participate in face-to-face meetings.

 

Evaluators from Commonwealth Medicine, which works directly with Massachusetts Medicaid -- MassHealth -- and with our SBI code reimbursement workgroup, followed up with 11 states where Medicaid had turned on the SBI codes. The attached report may be useful to other SBIRT projects. read more ...

There is now a billing and reimbursement manual available to distribute to clinical sites. Penny Osmon, the Wisconsin Medical Society's billing and reimbursement expert, was primary author. You'll see that she did a fabulous job explaining the very complicated, esoteric issues around SBIRT billing and reimbursement in a clear and concise manner.
 read more ...

For anyone who drinks, this site offers valuable, research-based information. What do you think about taking a look at your drinking habits and how they may affect your health? read more ...