Substance Abuse: Insured federal workers will now be covered for
participation in a substance abuse prevention and screening programs.
Last month, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy announced
that the 5.6 million workers with federal health insurance can be fully covered
for a substance abuse prevention and treatment procedure called “screening and
brief intervention.” SBI, which typically is performed in a medical setting, is
designed to facilitate a dialogue between doctors and patients about the harms
of substance abuse. Now, doctors can be reimbursed for screening patients for a
range of substance abuse behaviors, such as alcohol and drug abuse, and
providing the appropriate intervention.
“SBI is a public health procedure that can readily be implemented across the
entire health care sector and in all 50 states,” said Dr. Bertha Madras, deputy
director for demand reduction at the White House Office of National Drug Control
Policy, in a statement. “It assists individuals using drugs and alcohol by
providing timely and cost-effective intervention.”
= Member Only
