The ASAM Criteria Unplugged and Other Tales from the Field, Episode 6: Dr. David Gastfriend

In this episode of The ASAM Criteria Unplugged, we interview Dr. David Gastfriend on some of the major advances in the new ASAM Criteria 4th Edition, and the plans for updating the associated ASAM Criteria toolkit. This includes the ASAM Criteria paper Assessment Guide, the ASAM CONTINUUM software and the ASAM CO-Triage software. Dr. Gastfriend will also talk about the recent ASAM/AAAP Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Stimulant Use Disorders. This volume, for the first time, has identified Contingency Management (CM) as the standard of care for Stimulant Use Disorder. But CM is largely inaccessible to patients nationwide -- in the midst of a national stimulant crisis. So, this discussion will examine new approaches to longstanding obstacles that can now make CM feasible, manageable, easily accountable, sustainably fundable, and completely safe from regulatory investigation and legal sanctions. The emphasis will be on practical solutions that can advance access to this standard of care and boost the quality of care and treatment outcomes.