Latest News

  • July 20, 2020 10:36 AM | Anonymous

    ASAM has hired Historical Research Associates to write a history of our organization. HRA’s team is building on the many wonderful materials gathered and historical narratives drafted by a number of our past and present members. We’re asking our members to look into their personal collections to see if they possess pre-1990: photographs (with dates and captions) , personal papers (notes, minutes, communiques, awards, letters, etc.), and any other materials related to the society and its chapters. If you have items you’d like to share, please email it to lhausealvarado@asam.org.

    Please share these details with anyone you know who may be able to assist in the collection of these historical items. Thank you!

  • July 16, 2020 1:03 PM | Anonymous

    Rockville, MD – In a new public policy statement on treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) in correctional settings, the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) calls on policymakers to support measures that would expand access to evidence-based addiction treatment for Americans who are incarcerated. Individuals who are incarcerated are a vulnerable population and withholding evidence-based OUD treatment increases risk for death during detainment and upon release. The new policy statement describes the standard of care that ASAM believes all individuals with OUD who are detained and incarcerated should receive and outlines systemic changes to ensure universal access to such care within correctional institutions.

    Read more.

  • July 15, 2020 9:08 AM | Anonymous

    Please read this important letter from AAAP and complete the anonymous survey for providers treating OUD during the COVID-19 pandemic. The information received will help formulate future policy and educational resources. Thank you!

  • July 07, 2020 10:36 AM | Anonymous

    Wisconsin Health News

    The Department of Health Services is asking organizations to apply to pilot a new addiction treatment model of care for Medicaid members, according to a Monday statement. 

    The organizations will pilot a hub-and-spoke model of care. 

    Under the model, the organization will serve as a “hub,” offering more intensive substance use disorder treatment. They’ll then work with a network of “spokes,” which will provide less intensive care and other services.

    “Piloting the hub-and-spoke model is the next step in integrating quality healthcare for individuals with a substance use disorder,” said DHS Secretary-designee Andrea Palm. 

    The state’s current budget directs the agency to pursue the model, which was recommended by former Gov. Scott Walker’s Task Force on Opioid Abuse.

    The task force was co-chaired by Joint Finance Committee Co-Chair Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, and former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch. 

    The deadline to apply is Aug. 24. DHS will fund up to three pilots. The agency will announce the successful sites in October.
  • July 06, 2020 10:50 AM | Anonymous

    50% OFF MEMBERSHIP

    2020 is half over, but you are still able to take advantage of an ASAM membership today! Membership is half price of the normal dues rate of each category. All members that join will still receive full member benefits.

    Current ASAM members are not eligible for the 50% offer, only new or re-instated members.

    As you are talking to your colleagues, let them know of the great benefits WISAM is able to offer, and the stellar work we are doing in treating addiction during this COVID-19 pandemic. Please visit the ASAM Resources page at www.asam.org/Quality-Science/covid-19-coronavirus.

    Join by going to www.asam.org/join and using code 2020MIDYR at check-out or contact us with any questions WISAM@Badgerbay.co.

  • July 03, 2020 10:54 AM | Anonymous

    It is time to recognize your colleagues for their notable contributions in the addiction medicine field!

    The Nominations & Awards Council is seeking nominations for the following 2021 awards: John P. McGovern Award on Addiction & Society, ASAM Annual, Public Policy, Media and the ASAM Training Directors Award.

    Award recipients will be honored at the 52nd Annual Conference to be held in Dallas Texas, April 22nd – April 25, 2021. For more information on how to nominate an individual, or yourself, please click here.

    The Nominations & Awards Council is dedicated to ASAM’s goal of increasing diversity and inclusion within our Society. As part of this effort, we highly encourage nominations for individuals from historically underrepresented groups in the addiction medicine field.

    Submission Deadline:  August 7, 2020

    If you would like additional information, please contact Valerie Evans at vevans@asam.org

  • July 02, 2020 10:50 AM | Anonymous

    National Governors Association

    "Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many governors were looking for ways to strengthen substance use disorder (SuD) provider capacity as part of their comprehensive response to the opioid epidemic. However, the imperative is now greater than ever as providers and states face unprecedented fiscal challenges and there are increasing reports that the country is seeing an increase in need for SuD treatment as a result of the stress, social isolation, and job loss associated with the pandemic (Box 1). While comprehensive national data are not yet available, initial reports suggest that many states are experiencing a resurgence of overdose deaths, potentially erasing some of the progress made in recent years in combatting the opioid epidemic.1 At the same time, SuD providers, many of whom are Medicaid providers, are facing financial hardship as they lose revenue due to lower utilization, face new costs for personal protective equipment (ppe), and are required to reconfigure their work spaces and approach to providing care to reduce the risk of spreading coviD-19 (Box 2 below).2"

    Read the full document here.

  • June 18, 2020 5:02 PM | Anonymous

    Wisconsin Medical Society | Medigram

    Yesterday, the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund (Fund) approved waiving the upcoming fiscal year’s premiums for physicians, CRNAs and hospitals enrolled in the fund.

    The Society has been working hard to find ways to assist its membership during these unprecedented times and approached the Fund with the idea of a premium holiday to provide some financial relief. "COVID-19 has posed unprecedented health and economic challenges to our state, and the health care industry is no exception," said  Bud Chumbley, MD, MBA, a Fund Board member and the CEO of the Wisconsin Medical Society. "The premium holiday approved yesterday by the board will provide some financial relief to many of the Wisconsin medical professionals and providers who have been affected by the pandemic and who face ongoing challenges."

    Full-time physicians will save between $382 and $2,521, depending on their specialty, with Residents saving $229 and part-time or retired physicians saving $95. The premium holiday will be in effect from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. Additional details can be found in the Society's update or the Fund’s press release.  

  • June 10, 2020 11:46 AM | Anonymous

    Wisconsin Health News

    The percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 who are hospitalized continues to fall, a positive sign for the state’s fight against the pandemic, according to Medical College of Wisconsin CEO Dr. John Raymond. 

    As of Tuesday, the number of total hospitalizations for COVID-19 in the state was 2,904, an increase of 44 from Tuesday. The number of total positive tests was 21,308, an increase of 270 from Tuesday. 

    That put the total percentage of patients testing positive for the disease that were or are hospitalized at 13.6 percent, unchanged from Monday. 

    That’s an improvement from the beginning of the pandemic when the percentage was around 30 percent, Raymond said during a Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce webinar.

    “I think that’s good news, probably emblematic that as our testing has grown, we’ve been able to diagnose people earlier in their illnesses and maybe even some asymptomatic individuals,” Raymond said. “I also believe that we know a whole lot more about how to give high quality supportive care to patients with COVID-19 and to triage them appropriately into the hospital, to home or into intensive care settings.” 

    Raymond said there’s adequate capacity at Wisconsin hospitals, and the number of those in inpatient settings or intensive care units is stable. He said most hospitals have been able to resume “some semblance of normal activity” with stable personal protective equipment supplies. 

    The most critical needs are goggles and gowns. N95 masks may also become a problem in southeast Wisconsin, he said. 

    There were 347,210 total negative test results reported on Tuesday, an increase of 13,957 from Monday. Total deaths were 661, an increase of 15 from Monday, according to the Department of Health Services. 


  • June 08, 2020 11:49 AM | Anonymous

    ASAM offers a Clinical Practice Guideline on Alcohol Withdrawal Management

    Intended to aid clinicians in their clinical decision making and management of patients experiencing alcohol withdrawal syndrome. 

    Visit the ASAM website for more information here!

Wisconsin Society of Addiction Medicine
563 Carter Court, Suite B,
Kimberly, WI 54136

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