Angad Buttar

Title : Working together: Using ATLAS® as a tool to connect communities to evidence-based, high-quality treatment for addiction

Abstract:

With overdoses reaching 107,000 in 2021, the need for individuals to quickly receive evidence-based, quality addiction treatment is strikingly clear. But the reality is that many such individuals will face countless barriers on their journey. From understanding where to start their search to comparing services, the challenges are overwhelming. Exacerbating these barriers is an absence of standards of care for the addiction treatment field.
ATLAS^® aims to change this. Developed in 2020 by Shatterproof, a national non-profit organization working to reverse the addiction crisis in America, ATLAS is an online, free website that collects and displays objective information on the quality of addiction treatment facilities. Based upon Shatterproof’s the National Principles of Care^© - eight principles of evidence-based addiction treatment, ATLAS provides transparent, comprehensive information that can be used by individuals with SUD, family members and community providers alike when searching for and comparing addiction treatment facilities. Now in its third year of implementation, ATLAS is currently available in ten states (DE, FL, LA, MA, NC, NJ, NY, OK, PA, WV), and will be expanding to several additional states in 2023 (including CA), with more on the horizon.
In addition to its public-facing interface, ATLAS also contains unique password-protected portals for payers, states, and providers that include rich data indicating how treatment facilities benchmark to state averages in each quality metric, key areas for improvement in quality state-wide, patient feedback, and other valuable comparative information. When using these portals, providers that submitted data to ATLAS can compare the quality of treatment at their facility with other facilities throughout their state and read patient feedback on their services and practices. For states, this detailed information on quality of care statewide can be leveraged to make policy decisions regarding which medications or services need to be prioritized for further improvement, or where capacity building or increased training are needed in the workforce. Payers may also use facility-level data to examine the quality of care within their network, identify high-quality facilities as they consider expanding their networks, and make decisions on technical assistance and/or payment models.
The proposed session will explore the unique features of the ATLAS platform when searching for addiction treatment. Presenters will discuss the quality metrics that have been implemented to monitor standards of care and the importance of these metrics for communities. Focusing on the collaborative nature of ATLAS, presenters will explore strategies for implementation throughout communities to help individuals with SUD find high-quality treatment. Audience members will also learn key information about the password-protected portals of ATLAS, with an emphasis on how to leverage data displayed in these portals to drive quality improvements within the treatment landscape. Presenters will focus on the goal of cross-collaboration across communities, from the use of quality metrics to drive internal change, to the transparency that ATLAS provides community members in finding evidence-based practices within the treatment field.

What will audience learn from your presentation?

1. Upon completion, participant will be able to understand how to assess treatment quality, both when seeking care for patients and when evaluating the quality of care at their own facility, to identify possible areas for improvement.
2. Upon completion, participant will be able to demonstrate how ATLAS is and can be leveraged across communities and stakeholder groups to guide systems-level changes within SUD treatment.
3. Upon completion, participant will be able to develop strategies for incorporating the ATLAS platform in current community outreach, case management and client support, as well as at the state level to identify and respond to treatment trends.

Biography:

Angad Buttar serves as the Senior Director for Shatterproof’s ATLAS team.  In this role, Angad leads his team to manage stakeholder engagement, ATLAS implementation and promotion within states participating in Shatterproof’s ATLAS® quality measurement system.

Prior to joining Shatterproof, Angad spent over 15 years in healthcare, both in operations and consulting.  Angad’s operational roles have included managing teams conducting Revenue Cycle operations, Project Management, and multiple Electronic Medical Record implementations for large healthcare systems. 

Angad is originally from Connecticut where he attended The University of Connecticut. He also has a master’s degree from George Mason University in Healthcare Administration.