Denver, June 25, 2020 — Cordant Health Solutions® (Cordant) offers a video-observed oral fluid drug testing solution ideal for helping drug courts and other government agencies continue to monitor participants’ adherence to their treatment programs during safer at home orders. Saliva testing is a useful tool that has been recognized as an effective method for testing in addiction treatment settings according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine.¹

Due to the need for social distancing to minimize exposure to COVID-19, many government agencies are struggling to maintain their monitoring programs. While some may already offer virtual services, drug testing to monitor adherence is a challenge in this environment.

After courts began suspending cases due to safety concerns, officials at the Hamilton County Adult Probation Department in Indiana realized that participants who were in treatment programs for substance use disorder were at risk of relapse or even overdose without drug monitoring.

“At first, we thought delaying testing for a week or 10 days would be okay,” said Madonna Wagoner, director of the department. “But once it became close to a month, we knew we needed to figure out a better plan to help our clients stay compliant.”

As drug testing frequency decreased, participants in the drug court program, who are at higher risk of relapse, began expressing their discomfort with the lack of screening.

“Our clients were telling us they want more screening, that they rely on it to stay adherent to their drug treatment program,” said Krista Radican, assistant director adult probation/drug court coordinator. “Several participants self-reported relapses, and some worried aloud to their probation officers or counselors early on that they didn’t know how they would get through the pandemic sober.”

Radican also went on to say that they looked to national resources such as the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) for best practices, but “there are no best practices for the situation we’re in right now. Nobody was prepared for a crisis like this.”

Cordant’s video-observed oral fluid testing is one solution they have adopted to help participants during this crisis. Video-observed oral fluid drug testing is non-invasive, easily observed and can be done conveniently in the participant’s home, reducing their risk of exposure to COVID-19. The entire process is conducted under video supervision by a remote Cordant collection specialist or a probation officer.

“Any disruption in addiction treatment, combined with the increased stress and uncertainty caused by the current pandemic, can increase the chance of relapse in this vulnerable population,” said Sue Sommer, CEO and president of Cordant. “By having a solution like video-observed oral fluid drug testing available many of our clients, like Hamilton County, were able to adjust their operations to be done remotely, minimizing the effect in disruption of care for participants.”

For participants taking buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder, Cordant’s saliva test detects extremely low buprenorphine levels, which minimizes false-negative results and makes it a useful testing option for addiction prescribers.

“At Cordant, we strive to be a leader and innovator in the drug testing industry by creating solutions that help our clients and their participants be successful in their treatment program,” said Sommer. “But beyond our commitment to excellence, we are driven by a purpose at Cordant—to make a difference in the lives we serve, especially those affected by addiction.”

Clinicians and agencies interested in learning how to add Cordant’s solution to their programs to help patients during the COVID-19 epidemic can contact Cordant at sales@cordanths.com or 844-848-5955.

About Cordant Health Solutions®

Based in Denver, Cordant Health Solutions® (www.cordantsolutions.com) provides innovative tools for monitoring behavioral health, chronic pain and criminal justice cases. Our unique pharmacy and drug testing programs provide accurate, actionable results to protect prescribers, hold patients accountable and optimize the quality of life.

As a leader in quality standards, Cordant is committed to developing solutions for payers, clinicians and organizations involved with substance use disorder, pain management and criminal justice agencies. Cordant is one of the only healthcare companies that offers monitoring and risk assessment tools through its innovative drug testing options and full-service, high-touch pharmacies, which specialize in the complex management and dispensing of controlled substances. Cordant’s testing protocols and digital case-management tools help clients become more efficient and effective in using drug testing programs to monitor patient adherence, reduce risk and improve patient outcomes.

¹American Society of Addiction Medicine. Appropriate Use of Drug Testing in Clinical Addiction Medicine; 2017.

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