The National Alliance of Advocates
for Buprenorphine Treatment
Buprenorphine (Suboxone®, Subutex®) is an opioid medication used to treat opioid
addiction in the privacy of a physician's office.1 Buprenorphine can be dispensed
for take-home use, by prescription.1 This, in addition to the pharmacological
and safety
profile of buprenorphine, makes it an attractive treatment for patients addicted to opioids.2
What is the
National Patient /Physician Matching System?
Patients, Counselors, and Patient Advocates:
Patient Instruction brochure (PDF) http://www.naabt.org/documents/waiting-list-instructions-patients.pdf (some of the graphics have changed since publication)
The NAABT Patient /Physician Matching System is a centralized list of patients from which certified physicians, in your area, can draw from when they have an opening. It is a more efficient way to help connect patient to physician.
Ideally, when a patient decides he/she needs treatment, a phone call is made to a physician on the “Find a Certified Physician list” and the patient gets an immediate appointment and is treated the next day. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. There may not be many doctors in your area or they may be at their 30/100-patient limit. If you are unable to find a physician, you may put yourself on the NAABT Patient /Physician Matching System. Participating physicians from your area will contact you when they have an opening and as new physicians become certified.
The Matching System and all of your information is completely confidential, and on a secure server. You will NEVER be asked for your name, address or telephone number. You will be asked for an email address through which a doctor may contact you. This email address is immediately and automatically converted into a NAABT ID# and that is the only contact information anyone will see. Patient privacy policy for the Matching System
The patient registration process is simple and can be completed in less than 3 minutes. It consists of an application with 16 questions. Certified physicians will use these answers to help them match patients with his/her individual expertise and level of experience.
Once you have completed the registration, you will receive an automated email from NAABT. This email will confirm your registration and provide you with your NAABT ID number. Please record this number and keep it in a safe place. You will need it and your password when you want to renew, change your application information or if you want to opt out of the program.
When a physician in your area has an opening and selects you, you will receive an email instructing you to call his/her office to further discuss the possibility of treatment with that physician.
If you have not been contacted within two weeks, you will receive a renewal email. It will require you to log in and update you application. (This process takes less than 1 minute.)
Once contacted by a physician and 72 hours have elapsed, you will be automatically removed from the system but your registration information will still be valid. If you do not receive treatment from any of the physicians that contacted you, you can login and put yourself back on the list, so that other physician can contact you, again less than 1 minute. Matching system Patient FAQ
NAABT, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and serves to assist people in finding Buprenorphine treatment providers, like that of a search engine or phone book. The service is free and voluntary, and comes with no warranty or guarantee, or cost for using the service. Naabt.org acts only as an optional and additional tool to help connect individuals in need of buprenorphine treatment to appropriate buprenorphine treatment providers. Do not rely on it for your only path to healthcare. If you need immediate attention go to an emergency room, call 911, or seek immediate healthcare from a qualified healthcare provider.
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Physicians:
The cost free matching system is a confidential way for physicians, with treatment openings, to contact patients seeking buprenorphine treatment for opioid dependence. see privacy policy
When registering you will be asked for your name, main practice address, email address, and the last 5 digits of your DEA “X” number. Your email and DEA# will not be seen by anyone. You will be able to add other practice locations if you have more than one.
How it works: A physician logs in, the number of patients seeking treatment within range of your practice will be displayed. Using the patient answers to the questionnaire, select patients that best fit your expertise and experience. Once you have selected patients, you click “email my patients” and the NAABT site sends all of the selected patients an email instructing them to call your office to discuss further the possibility of treatment. It is then up to the patient to contact you. You may add to or change the outgoing email. Your email address is not given to the patient, or anyone else. Patients cannot email you through the matching system. All information resides on a secure server. Privacy Policy for the Matching System
*Please do not contact patients and offer to place them on a waiting list, only contact patients when you have the capacity to treat them.
Physician matching system resource page
FAQ-- Physician frequently asked questions for the matching system
The intent of this site is to efficiently connect patients in need of treatment for opioid dependence with an Office-based Treatment Provider, certified to prescribe buprenorphine. DO NOT CONTACT PATIENTS UNLESS YOU HAVE CURRENT OPENINGS. It is unlawful to use this site to solicit for anything other than stated above. Example: it is inconsistent with the terms to use this site to solicit for “Rapid detox”, “inpatient rehab”, or any other treatment that is not considered Office-based Opioid Dependence Treatment with buprenorphine, and such treatment must be consistent with the physician training established to obtain the DEA waiver to prescribe Schedule III medications, for opioid dependence, in an office based setting, according to the DATA2000 law. If you do not have an “X” number from the DEA you are not authorized to use this patient database.
See terms of use for more information.
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- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA Talk Paper, T0238, October 8, 2002, Subutex and Suboxone approved to treat opiate dependence.
- Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Clinical Guidelines for the Use of Buprenorphine in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 40. DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 04-3939. Rockville, Md: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2004.