Methadone "callbacks" within a veterans affairs opioid treatment program: Detecting methadone misuse

A "callback" requires patients to bring in take-home methadone doses for inspection. An opioid treatment program (OTP) quality-improvement project examined random versus "for-cause" callbacks.

Eighty-two random callbacks and 60 for-cause callbacks were conducted among patients enrolled in an OTP (N = 183).

Among patients with more take home doses, 6% of random callbacks versus 44% of for-cause callbacks were failed. Among patients with fewer take home doses, 36% of for-cause callbacks were failed.

For-cause callbacks are more useful than random ones.

For-cause callbacks based on clinical judgment detect methadone misuse. (Am J Addict 2017;26:50-52).