Clinical Practice Guidelines

How to Get the Best Care: Clinical Practice Guidelines

Community Care wants to help you and your care team make decisions about care that works best for you. We use Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs or guidelines) so that you get the best care.

As of June 2024, Community Care uses seven guidelines:

  1. The American Society of Addictive Medicine (ASAM) National Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). The complete guideline may be found here: ASAM OUD.
  2. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) Practice Guideline for the Pharmacological Treatment of Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). The guideline may be found here: APA AUD.
  3. The American Thoracic Society’s (ATS) guideline for Initiating Pharmacologic Treatment in Tobacco-Dependent Adults: An Official American Thoracic Society CPG. This guide may be found here: ATS Tobacco Dependence.
  4. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Guideline for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This guideline may be found here: AAP ADHD.
  5. The APA Practice Guideline for The Treatment of Patients with Schizophrenia. This guideline may be found here: APA Individuals Diagnosed with Schizophrenia.
  6. The Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense’s (VA/DoD’s) CPG for the Management of Major Depressive Disorder. This guideline may be found here: VA/DoD Major Depressive Disorder.
  7. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) CPG for the Assessment and Treatment of children and Adolescents with Anxiety Disorders. This guideline may be found here: AACAP Children and Adolescents with Anxiety Disorders.

These guidelines suggest that staying in treatment even after you start to feel better can help you get well and stay well. For example, it can be helpful to continue to receive substance use treatment after you stop taking drugs or using alcohol. The guidelines also recommend staying in treatment for schizophrenia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and depression.

Community Care looks at these guidelines every year. We want to make sure the guidelines are up to date and help you choose the best care. Please tell us what you think about these guidelines. If you have suggestions or want to know more, call Community Care at 1-888-251-2224.

You can also get additional information online for: