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For the Patient Community
For the Treatment Community
Quick Sheet - Stand Alone Users (PDF 529 KB)
Quick Sheet - Software Interface Users (PDF 549 KB)
System Architecture
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Overview of D-ATMOn this page: OverviewDigital Access to Medication (D-ATM) is a centralized database/information system in development under the sponsorship of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a Federal agency in the Department of Health and Human Services. D-ATM’s purpose is to ensure continuity of care for patients receiving treatment for opioid addiction in Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs) when OTPs experience a disruption in the ability to provide services. During a service disruption, it is important that patients are able to obtain treatment at a guest OTP. Any guest OTP must have access to limited, but specific, information about the patient’s medication and dosage needed to provide safe and effective treatment. D-ATM’s ultimate function is to acquire, store, and make this information available, under restriction. Project StatusIn February 2007, a pre-pilot of the D-ATM system was conducted with the staff and patients of the Lower Eastside Service Center (LESC) in New York City. This led to some technical improvements in the system. In the last months of Phase II, 22 programs in targeted areas indicated interest in participating in a limited pilot of the system; ultimately, eight (8) OTPs from the States of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and the District of Columbia were selected to participate in the first wave of pilot implementation. Currently, the project is beginning Phase III. Following an in-depth assessment of the pilot site experiences, plans will be made to roll out the D-ATM system to OTPs throughout the United States. Project BackgroundThe September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks highlighted the need to ensure continuity of care for patients receiving opioid addiction treatment when a disastrous event causes disruption in the services regularly provided by one or more OTPs. The OTP located near the World Trade Center was destroyed completely, and several other OTPs remained closed for days or weeks. Approximately 1,000 patients were displaced. Subsequent severe weather-related events such as Hurricane Katrina further underscored this need. These disasters caused the loss of access to one or more OTPs by members of the opioid addiction patient treatment community who regularly rely on them for routine daily treatment. OTP staff and patients recognized the need for a solution to ensure service continuity for OTPs during a disaster or more routine disruption. Immediately after September 11, 2001, CSAT began working with key stakeholders from New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, most of whom are still involved in the project. Working with the Committee of Methadone Program Administrators, Inc., a feasibility/planning study was conducted to explore whether and how a centralized, Web-based database could provide the means to help ensure patients can receive their medication safely and effectively during a disaster or other service disruption. A brief development project followed. In the fall of 2005, SAMHSA/CSAT funded the current pilot project, now called Digital Access to Medication, or D-ATM. A patient advocate serving on the project’s Steering Committee suggested the name “D-ATM” as representing a Web-based system that will allow patients to access medication in certain situations in almost as routine and dependable fashion as bank machines are used to obtain cash. From the beginning, the project has been guided by four principles: simplicity, affordability, acceptability, and confidentiality, with a particular emphasis on confidentiality. Accordingly, system development has incorporated the protection of personal information as an absolute core requirement. The result is a centralized information source that multiple OTPs can access while protecting highly private, and potentially powerful, information. Project Milestones and Achievements to Date
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