Examining the Impact of the Innovative Opioid Court Model on Treatment Access and Court Outcomes for Court Participants

Examining the Impact of the Innovative Opioid Court Model on Treatment Access and Court Outcomes for Court Participants 
Published: November/December 2024

Journal Article

Overview

This one-hour, on-demand, journal article-based activity presents original research on the impact of the opioid intervention court (OIC) as an alternative to traditional treatment courts for people with OUD who are involved with the criminal-legal system and at high risk of overdose. The OICs more rapidly link court participants to treatment in comparison to traditional drug courts. As the time between arrest and post-arraignment drug court entry is one of high risk and may suspend access to treatment for OUD, OICs may demonstrate improved ability to immediately stabilize and reduce overdose risk in court participants.

The target audience for this intermediate continuing education activity includes: physicians, nurse practitioners, PAs, pharmacists and other clinicians, researchers, students, and policymakers.

This activity addresses the following ACGME Core Competencies: Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Practice-Based Learning and Improvement, Professionalism, and Systems-Based Practice.

Article Abstract

Objective
The opioid intervention court (OIC) is an innovative, pre-plea treatment court to facilitate rapid linkage to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) for people at risk of overdose. This study compares participants in OIC and participants with opioid use problems in a traditional drug treatment court model on (i) initiation for any substance use (SU) treatment, (ii) initiation of MOUD, (iii) number of days to MOUD initiation, and (iv) retention in the OIC program/retention on MOUD.

Methods
We used administrative court records from n = 389 OIC and n = 229 drug court participants in 2 counties in New York State. Differences in outcomes by court were assessed using logistic, multinomial, or linear regressions.

Results
After adjusting for current charge severity, gender, race/ethnicity, age, and county, OIC participants were no more likely to initiate any SU treatment but were significantly more likely to initiate MOUD (81.2% OIC vs 45.9% drug court, P < 0.001) and were more quickly linked to any SU treatment (hazard ratio = 1.68, 95% confidence interval = 1.35–2.08) and MOUD (hazard ratio = 4.25, 95% confidence interval = 3.23–5.58) after starting the court. Retention in court/MOUD was higher among drug court participants and may speak to the immediate sanctions (eg, jail) for noncompliance with drug court directives as compared with opioid court, which does not carry such immediate sanctions for noncompliance.

Conclusion
These analyses suggest that the new OIC model can more rapidly link participants to treatment, including MOUD, as compared with traditional drug court model, and may demonstrate improved ability to immediately stabilize and reduce overdose risk in court participants.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, learners will be able to:

1. Discuss how the opioid intervention court (OIC) model may serve as an alternative to traditional treatment courts for people with OUD who are involved with the criminal-legal system.

2. Compare the opioid intervention court (OIC) to traditional drug courts in terms of factors that impact overdose risk, retention in treatment, legal sanctions, and recidivism for participants. 

Registration Rates

*Residents, Fellows-in-training, Interns, and Students must join ASAM to receive a discounted registration rate. Click here to become an ASAM member. National and Chapter membership dues apply. There is no charge for Students to become a Member, but verification of student status is required.

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Refunds & Cancellations

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Open Registration: 08/01/2024 - 07/31/2027

Close Access Date: 08/31/2027

Course Instructions

1. Click on the Contents tab to begin this activity.
2. Click View Journal Article and read the journal article in its entirety. 
3. Click Complete Post Test to answer multiple choice questions. Participants will have 10 attempts to pass and must answer 2 out of 3 questions correctly.
4. Click Complete Evaluation to provide valuable activity feedback. Scroll down on all questions as there may be answer options that expand past the size of the window.
5. Click the button Claim Medical Credits in the box titled Claim Credits & Certificate. Choose the type of credit and click submit. Click the button View/Print Certificate to save or print your certificate. You can view/print your certificate at any time by visiting the ASAM eLearning Center, clicking Dashboard, and clicking Transcript/Achievements.

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Accreditation & Credits

Joint Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, the American Society of Addiction Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Credits Available

• Physicians: 1 Credit(s)
• Certified Counselors: NBCC Contact Hours not offered

Maintenance of Certification (MOC)/Continuing Certification Program (CCP)

This activity is designed to meet the requirements for MOC/CCP for several primary physician boards and for state licensing CME requirements. MOC Credit is only reported and designated for ABA, ABP, ABIM, and ABS. By completing the online credit application and evaluation, the learner permits ASAM to report credits to the appropriate Board. Learn more.

• ABA MOCA 2.0®*: 1 Lifelong Learning | 1 Patient Safety
• ABIM MOC Points: 1 Medical Knowledge | 1 Patient Safety
• ABP MOC: 1 Lifelong Learning & Self-Assessment
• ABS Continuing Certification: 1 Accredited CME | 1 Self-Assessment

Additionally, this activity has been designed to satisfy the requirements of the following primary physician board certification requirements. Please confirm with your individual Board.

• American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM)
• American Board of Preventative Medicine (ABPM)
• American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN)
• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)

Certificates for other professions

All participants may request a certificate of participation upon completion of the activity and an online evaluation confirming their participation. Learners are strongly advised to contact their professional licensing board or professional association to confirm this certificate will be accepted as evidence supporting continuing education requirements.

California Association for Drug/Alcohol Educators (CAADE)

This educational program is approved by CAADE: #CP40 999 1225.

California Association of DUI Treatment Centers (CADTP)

This educational program is approved by CADTP: #205.

California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP)

This educational program is approved by CCAPP: #OS-20-330-1224.

Disclosure Information

In accordance with the disclosure policies of ASAM and Joint Accreditation, the effort is made to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all accredited continuing education activities. These policies include identifying and mitigating all relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies for those involved in the creation and dissemination of accredited continuing education.

See the attached pdf for a list of disclosures.

  American Society of Addiction Medicine has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7062. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. American Society of Addiction Medicine is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

MOCA 2.0® is a trademark of the American board of Anesthesiology®.
This activity contributes to the patient safety CME requirement for Part II: Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment of the American board of Anesthesiology's (ABA) redesigned Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology Program® (MOCA®), known as MOCA 2.0®. Please consult the ABA website, https://www.theaba.org/, for a list of all MOCA 2.0 requirements.

The complete list of disclosures and designation statements are linked below.