Process improvement for behavioral health

Buprenorphine Implementation Toolkit – Introduction

Identifying and removing barriers to treatment

The use of medication, in combination with counseling and other supports, is widely recognized as an effective way to treat substance use disorders.

Organizations that endorse use of medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders include:

Buprenorphine is one of the medications approved by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration for treatment of opioid use disorders.

The NIATx Buprenorphine Implementation Toolkit provides an overview of how organizations can use NIATx practices and tools to implement or improve a buprenorphine treatment program.

NIATx on a napkin: A two-minute overview of the NIATx model

If you’re not familiar with the NIATx model, or need a refresher on it, this short video gives a quick overview of how to carry out a NIATx change project

Using the NIATx Model

A NIATx project to start or improve a buprenorphine treatment program begins by getting the customer perspective to identify barriers to effective use of the practice.

  • Once these barriers have been identified, the change team brainstorms potential solutions and pilot-tests them, using data to measure the effectiveness of the change.
  • A change is adopted (often after multiple pilot tests, or PDSA cycles) only when the data show that it’s working.

Learn more at niatx.wisc.edu