DAODAS, the S.C. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and the Medical Homes Network (MHN) have developed a Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) program for Medicaid-eligible pregnant women in South Carolina. This initiative will increase the possibility of healthy births and save money by helping clients access treatment services earlier in their disease, thereby increasing their chances of recovery.

Click here to view the SBIRT Integrated Screening Tool.

The role of the state’s 33 county alcohol and drug abuse authorities will be to accept referrals from MHN member organizations and primary care providers (including obstetricians/gynecologists) and to provide any treatment services needed. The process will include the following steps:

Referral…

Clients may be referred to DAODAS by an MHN organization, a physician’s office, or another appropriate agency. They may also enter treatment on their own.

• If a client is referred through the MHN, a consent form will not be completed because contact with the client will be by telephone. The MHN organization should fax a referral form to the county authority.
• When an MHN client comes into a county authority for an assessment, a consent form must be completed so that information can be shared with the referring MHN organization. If the client refuses to sign the consent form, she should not be added to the progress report.
• If a client is referred by a physician’s office, the physician should fax a referral and consent form. The physician’s office should then call the county authority’s SBIRT point of contact to set up an appointment for an assessment.
• If another agency refers a client or she "walks in" to a county authority for services, the county authority should contact the The Provider Service Center (1-888-289-0709) to determine the client’s MHN member organization. (This must be done during the intake process.) A release form must then be completed so that information can be shared with the MHN organization.

Assessment…

• Clients should be assessed as usual. If a client does not need further services, she should be added to the progress report for that month. (This will serve as the communication back to the referral source.)
• If a client needs additional services, the county authority should provide services as needed and add the client to the monthly progress report sent to the MHN. If the client delivers her baby while in services, she should be kept on the monthly progress report until discharge.

Report Completion…

• The county authority’s SBIRT point of contact is responsible for completing the monthly progress report and sending it to the MHN by the 10th day of each month. Each client should remain on the monthly progress report until discharged from services.
• In all cases, monthly progress reports will be sent to the MHN, and the network will communicate with the physician’s offices. Therefore, physicians’ names must be added to the consent form unless a client does not agree for this information to be shared. The monthly progress report should be encrypted before sending it to the MHN.

If you have any questions concerning the SBIRT project, contact Frankie Long, DAODAS Treatment Coordinator, at 803-896-1182 or e-mail: flong@daodas.sc.gov.