On September 7, 2021, the California legislature passed SB-110. SB-110 would allow the California state Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, to provide contingency management as a covered benefit for treating substance use disorders. Contingency management is a behavioral treatment that rewards patients’ positive behaviors. This can be an effective treatment for patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). For example, one study by the San Francisco AIDS found that 47% of participants in a contingency management program were confident in their ability to stop using methamphetamine entirely upon program completion. Moreover, a study by the University of Connecticut found that compared to other treatments, contingency management was 22% more likely to result in participants being drug-free six months after the program ended.
Prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs) are a form of contingency management treatment. PDTs are evidence-based medical interventions that use software that can be accessed on a tablet or smartphone to prevent, manage, or treat SUDs. Aimed Alliance’s current initiative ACTION for PDTs is working with partners to advocate for the adoption of, coverage of, and access to PDTs. To learn more about ACTION for PDTs, please visit our webpage here.
The full SB-110 Bill text can be read here. Additionally, to read more about California’s efforts to manage substance use disorders with contingency management, please see here.
Last Updated on October 8, 2021 by Aimed Alliance
