Thirty Years of The ASAM Criteria: A Report Card

Psychiatric Clinics of North America

The ASAM Criteria® – the sophisticated system for organizing treatment services and settings with patient care decision rules – defined the infrastructure of addiction care, the types and intensity of treatment, staffing, and service provision for each level of care. For more than 30 years, this led to a national standard in addiction treatment and a leadership role in behavioral health. Beyond the ASAM Criteria, there is ASAM CONTINUUMTM software and the ASAM–CARF Level of Care (LOC) Certification Program, affording a common language and process for improving care. The authors have constructed a report card given the history of the Criteria, with plans for improvement.

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