title: A 5-year evaluation of a methadone medical maintenance program.
abstract: Methadone medical maintenance (MMM) is a model for the treatment of opioid dependence in which a monthly supply of methadone is distributed in an office setting, in contrast to more highly regulated settings where daily observed dosing is the norm. We assessed patient characteristics and treatment outcomes of an MMM program initiated in the Bronx, New York, in 1999 by conducting a retrospective chart review. Participant characteristics were compared with those of patients enrolled in affiliated conventional methadone maintenance treatment programs. Patients had diverse ethnicities, occupations, educational backgrounds, and income levels. Urine toxicology testing detected illicit opiate and cocaine use in 0.8% and 0.4% of aggregate samples, respectively. The retention rate was 98%, which compares favorably with the four other MMM programs that have been reported in the medical literature. This study demonstrates that selected patients from a socioeconomically disadvantaged population remained clinically stable and engaged in treatment in a far less intensive setting than traditional methadone maintenance.
authors.affiliation: Division of Substance Abuse, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA. kenneth.harris@aya.yale.edu
authors.forename: Kenneth A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Julia H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Arnsten
authors.forename: Herman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Joseph
authors.forename: Joe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hecht
authors.forename: Ira
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Marion
authors.forename: Patti
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Juliana
authors.forename: Marc N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Gourevitch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services; D003376:Counseling; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010352:Patient Dropouts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D008691:Methadone