Existing law grants the sole authority in state government to the State Department of Health Care Services to certify alcohol or other drug programs and to license adult alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facilities. Existing law requires the department to adopt the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) treatment criteria, or an equivalent evidence-based standard, as the minimum standard of care for licensed facilities and requires a licensee to maintain those standards with respect to the level of care to be provided by the licensee.

This bill would similarly require the department to adopt the ASAM treatment criteria, or an equivalent evidence-based standard, as the minimum standard of care for alcohol or other drug programs certified by the department. The bill would also require certified programs to maintain those standards with respect to the level of care to be provided by the certified program.

The bill would authorize the department to implement these provisions by means of plan or provider bulletins or similar instructions until regulations are adopted and would require that regulations be adopted by January 1, 2027.