How to Turn Your Practice into an Addiction Treatment Center in Ohio

Compliance, Facility Operations, How to Guides, The Treatment Community

If you're considering expanding your existing medical or mental health practice into a full-fledged addiction treatment center in Ohio, you're making a timely decision. The state is facing a significant challenge with substance abuse, particularly opioids, and there's a growing need for quality treatment options.

Recent data shows that in 2019, an estimated 4,028 people died of unintentional drug overdose in Ohio, a 7% increase from the previous year. The African American community has been particularly hard hit, with opioid-related deaths increasing by 38% between 2018 and 2019.

These sobering statistics underscore the urgent need for more addiction treatment services in Ohio. If you're ready to take your practice to the next level and help address this crisis, here's what you need to know about transitioning to an addiction treatment center in the Buckeye State.

Understanding Ohio's Licensing Requirements for Addiction Treatment Providers

As of 2019, Ohio state code 5119.35 requires most addiction treatment providers to obtain state licensure. This includes entities providing residential, outpatient, or withdrawal management services.

If you're currently operating as a sole proprietorship, partnership, or group practice, you may be exempt from this requirement. However, as you transition into a full treatment center, you'll likely need to obtain certification from the state.

Navigating the Certification Process

In Ohio, addiction treatment providers seeking certification are referred to as "Community Behavioral Health Agencies." This terminology is used by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, which oversees the certification process.

To begin the certification process, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the Licensure and Certification Tracking System (LACTS). This online portal is where you'll submit your application and track its progress.

Steps to Transition Your Practice into a Treatment Center

1. Assess Your Current Practice: Evaluate your existing services, staff, and facilities to determine what changes are needed to meet the requirements of a full treatment center.

2. Develop a Transition Plan: Create a detailed plan outlining the steps needed to expand your services, hire additional staff, and modify your facilities if necessary.

3. Create an OH|ID Account: To access LACTS, you'll need to create an OH|ID account. This can be done with or without an Ohio State Driver's License.

4. Register Your Organization: Once you have an OH|ID account, sign into the OhioMHAS Portal to register your organization and begin the application process.

5. Request Access to LACTS: After registering your organization, you'll need to request access to LACTS. This can be done through the iPortal Dashboard by selecting the LACTS (Organization Administrator) icon under "My Applications."

6. Complete the Application: Work through the LACTS application, providing all required information about your expanded services, staff qualifications, and facilities.

7. Prepare for Inspection: Once your application is submitted, prepare for a potential on-site inspection to verify compliance with state regulations.

For more detailed guidance on using LACTS, refer to the LACTS Organization Admin User Guide.

Considerations for Expanding Your Practice

As you transition your practice into a treatment center, keep these factors in mind:

• Staffing: You may need to hire additional staff with specialized addiction treatment expertise.

• Facilities: Assess whether your current facilities can accommodate group therapy sessions and other treatment modalities.

• Services: Determine what level of care you'll provide (outpatient, intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, residential) and ensure you meet all requirements for each.

• Policies and Procedures: Develop comprehensive policies and procedures that align with state regulations for addiction treatment centers.

• Billing and Insurance: Familiarize yourself with billing procedures for addiction treatment services and consider expanding your accepted insurance plans.

We're Here to Help with Your Transition

Transitioning from a practice to a full addiction treatment center can be complex, but you don't have to navigate it alone. Behave Health is committed to making it easier - and more profitable - to operate evidence-based, results-focused addiction treatment centers.  

Our all-in-one app puts clinical, administration, staff, admissions, alumni, residents, treatment plans, billing, insurance authorizations and more - all at your fingertips. Get your expanded organization off to a strong start from the beginning. Don't let disorganization and chaos stifle your business' potential.

Get your free trial started today and see why more addiction treatment centers prefer Behave Health.

ASAM Released New COVID-19 Guidelines for Addiction Treatment Providers. Here's the Highlights.

On September 19th, ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medicine) announced their new pandemic guidelines for providers. Their “Caring for Patients During COVID-19 Task Force” created the guidelines as an expansion of pre-existing recommendations the agency made to addiction treatment providers earlier on in the pandemic. The new guidelines touch on some old themes but also cover a lot of new ground worth considering, especially in the sections on drug testing protocol and incident command structure.

At Behave Health, we look to industry leaders like ASAM for guidance on how to address COVID-19 in the addiction treatment setting. Today, we’ll cover some of the highlights of the new ASAM guidelines and consider their usefulness for addiction treatment providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

ASAM’s New Guidelines for Addiction Treatment Professionals are Pretty Expansive But They’re Not Legally Binding 

The guidelines released in September cover a lot of ground. Broken down into 15 different sections, the guidelines touch on everything from acute hospital settings protocols to clinician wellbeing to online support group etiquette. The website allows you to easily navigate to the sections that are most relevant to your facility’s level(s) of care.

Here’s a few of the ASAM guidelines’ subheadings: 

• Infection mitigation in outpatient settings and residential treatment facilities

• Adjusting drug testing protocols

• Access to care in opioid treatment programs

• Support group participation

• Managing justice-involved persons with addiction

• Ongoing management of the continuum of addiction care

Although ASAM speaks authoritatively on what should - and should not - be going on in addiction treatment centers during the COVID-19 pandemic, they are quick to note in their new guidelines that they are simply for “informational and education purposes” only. ASAM frequently refers readers back to their local health authorities for the final word on how to safely operate addiction treatment centers during the pandemic. They’re careful to note that each safety measure should be considered on a case-by-case basis depending on how severe the outbreak is in any given community.

ASAM’s COVID-19 Pandemic Drug Testing Recommendations for Addiction Treatment Providers are Very Conservative  

One of the biggest changes in ASAM’s new guidelines is its updated approach to drug testing. The society strongly cautions against any routine drug testing that does not have direct consequences for the way addiction treatment providers deliver care to that patient. In other words, if the care plan for the patient would be the same regardless of the results of a test, then ASAM wants you to skip the test. 

In explaining their reasoning for this conservative approach, ASAM points to reports that COVID-19 is infectious in both feces and urine and that redundant testing is not only an unnecessary risk to providers, but also an unneeded strain on laboratory operations that might be already stressed with coronavirus-related work. ASAM also points out that unnecessary drug testing requires the use of scarce PPE and may pose a threat to our already strained medical supply chains.

Instead of traditional urine-based drug testing, ASAM recommends addiction treatment providers investigate more “socially distanced” drug testing options, such as home breathalyzers that can be monitored via telehealth. 

ASAM Recommends Creating an Incident Command Structure for Your Addiction Treatment Center During COVID-19 

ASAM’s new guidelines also call for creating an “worse case scenario” plan for how your addiction treatment center will continue essential operations if one or more of your key staff members falls ill. Called an “incident command structure,” this plan would outline which staff members can take over what essential responsibilities of their colleagues. It’s very similar to the contingency planning we’ve discussed elsewhere on this blog. ASAM also recommends cross-training staff members to perform essential functions ahead of time, to prepare for any unforeseen sick leave and staff shortage. For example, more than one staff member at your addiction treatment center should know how to unlock the doors, disable alarms, and access medicines and emergency supplies.  

We’re Here to Help 

If you feel overwhelmed by ASAM’s new guidelines, you’re not alone. Many addiction treatment professionals are reeling from the vast array of changes COVID-19 has made in our professional lives. The rules of the game have changed - at least temporarily - but we’re helping addiction treatment providers all around the country tame the chaos with smart, simple tools designed especially for the behavioral health community as it exists today. Our pandemic-ready software solution is intuitive, simple, and—as our users like to say—“it just works.” 

Claim your free trial today and see how we can help make this difficult time a whole lot easier for your treatment center business.