Starting today, all specialty addiction treatment facilities in West Virginia are invited to participate in a survey of their practices and services, and to invite their patients to respond to a perception of care survey. This information is being gathered to inform ATLAS™, an addiction treatment locator, analysis, and standards tool being developed by Shatterproof.

Shatterproof, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis in America, has selected six states to pilot ATLAS before expanding across the country, and has partnered with WV’s Office of Drug Control Policy on the development and implementation of ATLAS in West Virginia.

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) has taken several important steps to address the opioid epidemic, including the creation of the Ryan Brown fund, which gave DHHR the responsibility to develop long term treatment beds and expand Quick Response Teams and LEAD programs.

Since first announcing West Virginia’s participation in ATLAS earlier this year, partners across the state, including addiction treatment providers, payers, and advocacy organizations, have been collaborating with Shatterproof to inform the development and implementation of the initiative. The start of data collection today marks an important milestone in the project.

 “Over the past eight months we’ve been working with Shatterproof on this important project to drive transparency and quality improvement in the addiction treatment field,” said Bob Hansen, Director of WV’s Office of Drug Control Policy. “We’re excited to be starting data collection and want to encourage all of the providers throughout the state to participate. This is an important step towards creating one standard of care to measure the quality and effectiveness of programs and identify opportunities for improvement.”

ATLAS will provide objective, reliable information on the use of best practices at addiction treatment facilities, empowering people impacted by addiction to make informed decisions and navigate this complex system. It will include information on all addiction treatment facilities in the state and will allow users to compare programs side-by-side or filter by criteria important to them, such as their location, program needs, or insurance carrier.

“Ensuring the public has access to the information they need to locate quality care is always top of mind,” added Hansen. “We’ve appreciated the opportunity to have a role in shaping the ATLAS project and ensuring it provides meaningful information on available services to all West Virginians, and simplifies what can be a daunting choice – choosing the program best suited to deliver care to you or your loved one.”

Providers and other stakeholders will also be able to access more granular data and view trends through password-protected portals on ATLAS. “ATLAS is being designed to support quality improvement, allowing states and payers to make data-driven decisions when directing payment and technical assistance resources, and in modifying policies to support providers in delivering high-quality care” said Samantha Arsenault, Vice President of National Treatment Quality Initiatives at Shatterproof. 

Shatterproof has been working with its state-based and national partners to encourage provider response to the ATLAS Treatment Facility Survey. Addiction treatment providers who receive the ATLAS Treatment Facility Survey but do not respond will still be listed on the ATLAS website with the note that this quality information is not available.

ATLAS provides the opportunity for addiction treatment providers to showcase their level of quality, to come together as a field to embrace a common set of standards, and to align financial incentives and market forces with best practices. Participation by providers in this initiative will be critical, and a marker of their commitment to quality and transparency.

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About Shatterproof
Shatterproof is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reversing the course of the addiction crisis in America. Shatterproof is focused on ensuring treatment in America is based upon proven research on and ending the stigma of addiction. The organization advocates for changes to federal and state policy, payer reform, treatment quality assessment, and provides public education through family and workplace programs.