2022 Opioid and Behavioral Health Final Report 

The United States is facing the fourth wave of the opioid and substance use disorder (SUD) crisis, driven primarily by rising polysubstance use. The National Quality Forum (NQF), with funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), convened the Opioids and Behavioral Health Committee over two years to develop a quality measurement framework to help combat the fourth wave of the opioid crisis through measurement. Specifically, the Final Report helps to address overdose and mortality resulting from polysubstance use involving synthetic and semi-synthetic opioids (SSSOs) among individuals with co-occurring behavioral health conditions. Building on the first edition of the Final Report that was released in September 2021, the updated report includes guiding principles and the addition of three use case exemplars to support readers in implementing the framework. The goal of the measurement framework and report is to improve the prevention and monitoring of opioid-related overdoses; apprise stakeholders of opportunities for coordination and partnerships across care settings; and enable stakeholders to improve their readiness to implement measures in a rapidly changing landscape.