ASAM: American Society of Addiction Medicine

• Professional Association
• ASAM

American Society of Addiction Medicine

ASAM publishes The ASAM Criteria and implementation materials for addiction-treatment documentation, level-of-care workflows, and utilization review.

At a Glance

Type

Professional Association

Acronym

ASAM

Headquarters

Rockville, MD

Official Website

Visit site ↗

Founded

1954

Last Verified

May 17, 2026

Reading Time

3 min

Why This Matters

• Publishes The ASAM Criteria used in addiction-treatment level-of-care and documentation workflows
• Provides public Fourth Edition implementation materials and training resources
• Offers official ASAM software and implementation tools
• Runs Level of Care Certification in partnership with CARF
• Influences utilization-review, authorization, and service-intensity conversations

Key Terms

Overview

ASAM stands for the American Society of Addiction Medicine. In treatment operations, ASAM often refers to The ASAM Criteria ↗, which ASAM publishes for level-of-care and treatment-planning work in addiction treatment.

is not ASAM, is not affiliated with ASAM, and this page is not an official ASAM publication. For treatment-center operators looking for practical documentation guidance, start with our complete ASAM Criteria and levels of care guide.

What ASAM Publishes

ASAM’s public Fourth Edition page says The ASAM Criteria uses a holistic, person-centered approach to treatment planning for patients with addiction and co-occurring conditions. It also describes Fourth Edition updates to the six dimensions, the continuum of care, software tools, and implementation resources. See ASAM’s Fourth Edition overview ↗.

For operators, the important distinction is source authority. can explain high-level workflow implications and help teams organize level-of-care documentation. Use official ASAM resources for source guidance, and route patient-specific decisions through qualified clinical review.

Fourth Edition Notes for Operators

ASAM’s public Fourth Edition page says the continuum still includes broad Levels 1 through 4 and identifies public high-level updates including Level 1.0 Long-Term Remission Monitoring, Level 3.7 BIO, co-occurring enhanced levels, Level 4 Psychiatric, and recovery residence recommendations alongside outpatient levels. Older search phrases such as “ASAM 0.5 through 4.0” still appear frequently, but operator content should not present that older phrasing as the complete current Fourth Edition structure.

Use ’s ASAM dimensions guide for the current dimension names and documentation workflow context.

Operator Links

Level-Specific Pages

Certification Scope

ASAM says its Level of Care Certification Program is delivered in partnership with CARF and provides an independent assessment of a treatment program’s ability to deliver services consistent with The ASAM Criteria. ASAM’s public certification page says the program currently covers adult residential programs at Levels 3.1, 3.5, and 3.7. See ASAM’s Level of Care Certification page ↗.

This page does not imply that, customers, or content are ASAM-certified.

ASAM Tools and IP Boundaries

ASAM’s Implementation Tools page describes official tools for clinicians, payers, managed care entities, and policymakers. It also states that inputting ASAM Criteria and other ASAM intellectual property into artificial intelligence is strictly prohibited. See ASAM’s Implementation Tools page ↗.

content should link to ASAM source pages, explain documentation workflows, and route patient-specific decisions through qualified clinical review.

Resources and Contact Information

Official website: https://www.asam.org ↗

Fourth Edition page: ASAM Criteria 4th Edition ↗

Implementation tools: ASAM Implementation Tools ↗

Assessment Guides landing page: ASAM Criteria Fourth Edition Assessment Guides ↗

Level of Care Certification: ASAM Level of Care Certification ↗

Frequently Asked Questions

This profile is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, regulatory, or professional advice. Information about this organization may change — always verify current details with official sources. is not affiliated with this organization unless otherwise stated.

Read the ASAM Criteria guide

helps behavioral health organizations stay compliant, efficient, and connected to the organizations that matter.

Common questions

Official sources

• Visit site ↗asam.org
• The ASAM Criteriaasam.org
• Level of Care Certification pageasam.org
• Implementation Tools pageasam.org
• ASAM Criteria Fourth Edition Assessment Guidesasam.org