Contingency Management

Contingency Management should be delivered for at least 12 weeks and has been delivered for up to 12 months.

Evidence for the intervention

Evidence supporting contingency management (CM) comes from more than ten systematic reviews and meta-analyses, drawn from over 100 randomized controlled trials. This evidence shows that CM helps patients with a range of different substance use disorders and is highly effective for patients with stimulant and opioid use disorders. For stimulant use disorders, CM is the most effective treatment available and is recommended as both a standalone treatment and an adjunctive treatment in combination with medication or other behavioral treatments. For opioid use disorders, CM is a highly effective adjunct to medication for opioid use disorder and is not recommended as a standalone treatment option. Based on its effectiveness as a standalone treatment for stimulant use disorder treatment and an adjunctive treatment for opioid use disorder, documented across multiple systematic reviews, CM earned our highest evidence rating.

Evidence-based Scale

Contingency Management (CM) protocols should last at least 12 weeks (about 3 months). In the Veterans Health Administration, CM was implemented for 12 weeks. In the ongoing rollout across California, CM is being implemented over a 6-month period. Studies suggest that the positive effects of CM persist for approximately 12 months after treatment completion.