Shatterproof, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis in America, announced today that North Carolina has been selected for the first phase of implementation for ATLAS™, a quality measurement system for addiction treatment facilities.  North Carolina is joining a select group of states taking part in this initiative before it is expanded nationally in late 2020 with assistance provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC).

Once launched, ATLAS will include a web and app-based platform that will allow the public searching for high-quality addiction treatment to locate and compare facilities, including trustworthy, standardized quality data and feedback on the services reported by other patients. This data will also be reported back to the addiction treatment facilities to inform quality improvement initiatives and with other stakeholders across the state to better support the use of best practices in treating SUD.

Thus far, Shatterproof and RTI International, the analytics partner on the project, have worked to identify and refine quality measures for addiction treatment facilities. The measures will include healthcare claims data, treatment facility surveys, and patient-reported information. In addition to North Carolina, Shatterproof has already announced participation by Delaware, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, and West Virginia. The ATLAS pilot is majority funded by Arnold Ventures and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Currently, only one in 10 people with a substance use disorder receives treatment. For those who do receive care, it’s frequently delivered without evidence-based practices, resulting in poor outcomes and substantial costs for patients and families.[1]

“Standardizing transparency around the use of evidence-based best practices by addiction treatment programs will drive wholesale transformation of this health care sector,” said Samantha Arsenault, Vice President of National Treatment Quality Initiatives at Shatterproof. “Not only will this system educate the public and allow them to sort between high- and low-quality programs to identify care providers, it will serve as a tool to better direct technical assistance resources to support struggling treatment providers in the adoption of best practices and spur the alignment of market forces with care that is shown to improve patient outcomes.”  

Data collection to inform ATLAS will begin in October 2019, with the public-facing website launching as early as May 2020. Shatterproof will actively be working with stakeholders in North Carolina to ensure successful implementation of this work.                                                                                                                  

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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 ending the stigma of addiction and ensuring treatment in America is based upon proven research. The organization advocates for changes to federal and state policy, payer reform, treatment quality assessment, and provides public education through family and workplace programs.

[1] Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. (2016). Results from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed tables. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.