


Substance use disorder (SUD) affects more than 46 million Americans each year, yet fewer than one in ten receive evidence-based treatment; it remains a major contributor to morbidity, preventable utilization, and outcome variation across value-based programs.
AAVBC’s Quick Reference Guide integrates the current clinical evidence and CMS-aligned documentation standards into a concise, operational framework. This guide provides clinicians and health providers with evidence-based direction to capture SUD severity, ensure compliant coding, and strengthen performance across quality, risk adjustment, and population health measures.
AAVBC’s Deep-Dive series offers a comprehensive, structured analysis of SUD — moving far beyond quick-reference essentials. This guide provides an integrated review of epidemiology, diagnostic strategy, staging, coding logic, MEAT-aligned documentation examples, treatment guidelines, audit vulnerabilities, and cost-utilization considerations. The Deep-Dive combines evidence-informed clinical guidance with practical operational tools to support a deeper understanding of SUD complexity and provide multidisciplinary teams with strategies to thrive within value-based frameworks.


Substance use disorder (SUD) affects more than 46 million Americans each year, yet fewer than one in ten receive evidence-based treatment; it remains a major contributor to morbidity, preventable utilization, and outcome variation across value-based programs.
AAVBC’s Quick Reference Guide integrates the current clinical evidence and CMS-aligned documentation standards into a concise, operational framework. This guide provides clinicians and health providers with evidence-based direction to capture SUD severity, ensure compliant coding, and strengthen performance across quality, risk adjustment, and population health measures.
AAVBC’s Deep-Dive series offers a comprehensive, structured analysis of SUD — moving far beyond quick-reference essentials. This guide provides an integrated review of epidemiology, diagnostic strategy, staging, coding logic, MEAT-aligned documentation examples, treatment guidelines, audit vulnerabilities, and cost-utilization considerations. The Deep-Dive combines evidence-informed clinical guidance with practical operational tools to support a deeper understanding of SUD complexity and provide multidisciplinary teams with strategies to thrive within value-based frameworks.