How to Transform Hospitals to Better Care for People with Addiction

EP 01 🎙 Special Series: ASAM's 56th Annual Conference

This episode is part of a special four-part series spotlighting key sessions from ASAM’s 56th Annual Conference.

In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar welcomes Dr. Itai Danovitch to explore highlights from his session, Hospitals as a Frontline for Addiction: Lessons from the START Study. They’ll discuss the pivotal role hospitals play in identifying and treating substance use disorders, drawing on insights and outcomes from the START (Substance Use Treatment and Recovery Team) Study. 

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Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, MD, MPH, FAAFP, FACPM, DFASAM

Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar is a family medicine, preventive medicine/public health, and addiction medicine physician. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, Wisconsin. She is a core faculty member for the Addiction Medicine Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin, and her clinical roles include addiction medicine consult service and serving as medical director of a low-barrier walk-in clinic serving people who use substances. She is also the Program Director of the Preventive Medicine Residency at UW-Madison and Medical Director of Harm Reduction Services at the Wisconsin Division of Public Health. Dr. Salisbury-Afshar's work focuses on expanding access to evidence-based addiction treatment and harm reduction services. She has over 14 years of experience practicing in medically underserved settings. Dr. Salisbury-Afshar lectures nationally on addiction medicine topics, including the treatment of opioid use disorder, harm reduction, the intersection of addiction and the criminal legal system, and public health approaches to reduce overdose mortality. Dr. Salisbury-Afshar is actively involved in ASAM, where she currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Medical Education Council, Course Director of the ASAM-All Rise treatment courts courses, a member of the ASAM Conference Planning Committee, and the Chair of Harm Reduction Special Interest Group.

Expert

Itai Danovitch, MD, MBA, DFAPA, DFASAM

Dr. Itai Danovitch is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He earned his bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley and his medical doctorate from the UCLA School of Medicine. He completed a psychiatry residency at Columbia University, an addiction psychiatry fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and a Master of Business Administration at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Dr. Danovitch’s clinical practice and research are focused on the treatment of substance use disorders and the integration of medical and mental health services. His current research is funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). He is the author of over 100 articles and book chapters and co-editor of two books on substance use disorders. Dr. Danovitch served as a Governor-appointed state Commissioner to the California Mental Health Services Commission. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and past president of the California Society of Addiction Medicine.

📖 Show Segments

• 00:05 – Introduction
• 00:52 – Why the START Study
• 02:32 – Study Methodology and Key Findings
• 05:08 – Key Findings
• 06:46 – Impact and Practical Applications
• 12:28 – Challenges in expanding access to Addiction Consultation Services
• 14:35 – Suggestions for Starting Addiction Consultation Services
• 17:23 – Benefits of having Addiction Consultation Services
• 19:03 – Expanding Addiction Consultation Services
• 23:39 – Proactive Approaches and AI Tools
• 25:02 – Final Thoughts
• 26:11 – Conclusion and Additional Learning Opportunities

📋 Key Takeaways

• START Study: Th