Contingency management (CM) is a proven behavioral health care intervention, effectively treating a variety of substance use disorders (SUDs) among diverse populations. The American Psychological Association has dubbed CM the “gold standard” of stimulant use disorder (StUD) treatments, while in 2021 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) stated that CM is “the only treatment with significant evidence of effectiveness” for StUD. The Steadman Group (TSG) is one of the leading firms in the country specializing in contingency management (CM) program development, implementation support and evaluation.
In 2022, we began the first of two Colorado Consortium-funded projects to engage stakeholders around CM, both learning and educating at the same time. In 2023, we worked directly with six Medicated Assisted Treatment (MAT) Expansion grant awardees to develop their programs in compliance with federal rules, and we recently finished work with the Behavioral Health Administration to develop their Learning Management System Module for CM. We have helped more than a dozen clinics implement CM and we have worked with six funders to develop their policies for CM.
But the ground is shifting in a good way. In January 2025, SAMHSA released an advisory regarding contingency management (CM) incentive payments for treatment substance use disorder (SUD). Previous policies limited annual per patient CM incentive values to $75. SAMHSA is now allowing CM incentives up to $750 per patient per year. This increase is in line with research identifying the most effective range of incentives during a typical 12-week treatment protocol as upwards of $300-$600 per client.
To learn more about how you can start a contingency management program, please join JK Costello, MD, MPH of the Steadman Group in partnership with CHESS Health on February 5, at 12pm EST/10am MST for a FREE webinar, Implementing Contingency Management: Strategies for Enhancing Treatment Outcomes in Substance Use Disorders.
Topics include:
- Overview of Contingency Management: Explanation of the model, its principles, and evidence-based effectiveness.
- Practical Tools: Resources and strategies for integrating contingency management into current treatment plans.
- Measuring Outcomes: Metrics for evaluating the effectiveness of contingency management interventions.
- Funding Sources: Ways to fund your contingency program, including a review of the new SAMHSA advisory.
- Real-World Case Studies: Presentation of successful implementations in various settings.