January is the Perfect Time to Pursue Treatment for a Substance Use Disorder
Impact on your practice
This is a companion awareness campaign to Item 1 with no direct policy implications for therapy practices. It may increase demand for services in January but doesn't change billing, licensing, or payer relationships.
Key facts
SAMHSA's SUD Treatment Month features weekly themes throughout January 2025
Focuses on fresh starts and leveraging New Year motivation for treatment entry
Campaign targets individuals considering treatment for substance use disorders
Therapy Companion analysis
This awareness campaign will likely generate increased client inquiries in January 2025, particularly among individuals motivated by New Year resolutions. However, this creates both opportunity and operational challenge for your practice. If you treat substance use disorders—whether as a primary focus or as comorbid conditions—expect higher intake volume during this month. This demand surge is temporary and seasonal, so avoid over-hiring or over-committing resources; instead, prepare by ensuring your intake coordinator can handle increased phone calls and scheduling requests, and confirm that your EAP partnerships and referral network are current and active. For practices that do not specialize in SUD treatment, this campaign reinforces the importance of having clear referral pathways to qualified SUD providers. Your reimbursement and caseload will not change based on this campaign alone—it is a marketing initiative, not a policy change—but practices treating dual-diagnosis clients (mental health plus SUD) should ensure documentation clearly distinguishes between billable mental health services and SUD-specific treatment, as payer requirements often differ. The campaign emphasizes 'flexible lengths of stay' and 'individualized treatment plans,' which aligns with evidence-based practice but underscores that your clinical documentation must justify session frequency and duration to survive payer audits and prior authorization reviews. If your state's Medicaid program covers SUD treatment through specialty providers only, ensure you understand your credentialing and billing obligations if you treat these clients; some state programs reimburse only certified SUD treatment facilities, not individual therapists.
Background
SAMHSA launched its inaugural Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month in January 2025 as part of a broader federal public health strategy to destigmatize treatment and leverage the New Year motivation cycle to increase treatment entry. This reflects ongoing federal priority around the opioid crisis and substance use recovery, particularly following years of pandemic-related increases in overdose deaths and treatment delays. The campaign is explicitly tied to FindTreatment.gov and the 988 Lifeline infrastructure, representing the Administration's push to integrate SUD and mental health crisis response. For therapists, this campaign is a symptom of wider policy momentum: federal and state payers are increasingly expecting mental health providers to screen for substance use and either treat it or facilitate warm handoffs to SUD specialists. Understanding this federal messaging strategy helps you anticipate patient questions and positioning your practice appropriately—whether you're a primary SUD treatment provider, a mental health provider who screens for and refers SUD, or an integrated practice treating both.
What you should do
Review your SUD screening and referral protocols before January 15, 2025. Ensure intake forms ask about substance use, and verify that your referral network includes at least two active SUD treatment providers (residential and outpatient) with current phone numbers and intake procedures documented in your client database.
Confirm your Medicaid and insurance panel status regarding SUD treatment coverage. Call your top 3 payers and ask: (1) Do you reimburse me for SUD counseling/therapy as an individual provider, or only through certified SUD programs? (2) Is there a separate prior authorization requirement for SUD services? (3) What diagnostic codes and documentation support medical necessity for SUD treatment? Update your billing compliance file with written responses.
If you treat SUD clients or dual-diagnosis cases, audit 5 randomly selected charts from the past 6 months to verify that your clinical documentation clearly distinguishes between ICD-10 codes for mental health diagnoses (e.g., F32 depression) versus SUD diagnoses (e.g., F10 alcohol use disorder), and that your treatment plan justifies frequency and modality separately for each condition. This protects you during payer audits.
Train your front-desk and intake staff to expect higher call volume in January and to use FindTreatment.gov and the 800-662-4357 SAMHSA helpline as secondary referral resources if your internal network is at capacity. Document these referrals in your client tracking system to measure whether the campaign drives increased demand at your practice.
If your practice does not treat SUD, create a one-page referral guide for clients (with local provider names, phone numbers, and whether they accept Medicaid) and distribute it at intake. This positions you as competent and caring while protecting your scope of practice and your billing—do not attempt to bill for SUD counseling if it is outside your expertise or licensure.
Notable excerpts
"Almost 75 percent of those who have ever had a substance use problem considered themselves to be in recovery or to have recovered from their drug or alcohol use problem, according to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health." — SAMHSA, SUD Treatment Month campaign
"Treatment can look different for everyone, depending on the severity of their SUD, their other health needs, and resources available to them...SUD treatment is increasingly available in primary care or other outpatient medical practices." — SAMHSA public health guidance (indicates expanding payer coverage and scope for non-specialty providers)
"I was assigned a counselor who worked with me to create an individualized treatment plan based on my specific needs and what I wanted to work on while in treatment." — Tom Coderre, SAMHSA Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (illustrates payer expectations for documented, individualized treatment planning)
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Policy changes drive denial patterns
Therapy Companion tracks both: the policy shifts on this page and the denial patterns hitting your claims.
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