Performance in Practice: Physician Practice Assessment Tools for the Screening, Assessment, and Treatment of Adults with Substance Use Disorder

Abstract

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) are implementing multifaceted Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements to enhance quality of patient care and assess and verify the competence of physicians over time (ABPN 2009). Beginning in 2013, for those applying for 2014 MOC examinations, the practice assessment component (Part 4 of MOC) will require physicians to compare their care for five or more patients with “… published best practices, practice guidelines or peer-based standards of care and develop a plan to improve effectiveness and efficiency of his or her clinical activities” (ABPN 2009). To this end, the Performance in Practice Physician Practice Assessment Tools for the Screening, Assessment, and Treatment of Adults with Substance Use Disorder that are presented here provide psychiatrists with the opportunity to gain experience with practice assessment, in preparation for the new ABMS and ABPN MOC requirements. Because the evidence-based quality indicators included in the tools presented here are considered core components in the care of patients with substance use problems or disorders, use of these tools can serve as a foundation in developing a systematic approach to practice improvement for the assessment and treatment of patients with substance use disorders.