​Courtesy / Guest Dosing Policy
New Hope Behavioral Health Center
Arizona and Michigan Locations

New Hope Behavioral Health Center recognizes that recovery is not always linear and that life circumstances may temporarily prevent a patient from presenting to their home Opioid Treatment Program for daily medication administration.

Consistent with our mission to provide compassionate, individualized, harm-reduction-based care, NHBHC supports continuity of medication treatment when it can be safely, legally, and clinically coordinated.
Courtesy dosing, also known as guest dosing, may be arranged for patients who are actively enrolled in another qualified Opioid Treatment Program and who require temporary dosing support while away from their home clinic or when a documented circumstance makes dosing at the home clinic impractical. NHBHC may also assist its own patients with arranging guest dosing at another qualified OTP when clinically appropriate.

Guest dosing is intended to support patient safety, reduce treatment interruption, prevent withdrawal, reduce relapse risk, and promote continued engagement in recovery. Guest dosing is not an entitlement, automatic approval, or substitute for regular treatment participation at the patient’s home clinic.

Advance Notice Requirement

Patients requesting guest dosing coordination should notify their treatment team as early as possible, preferably at least seven (7) calendar days in advance of the requested dosing period. This allows time for the home clinic and receiving clinic to complete required verification, obtain releases of information, confirm the current medication order, assess safety concerns, and coordinate care.
Emergency or urgent guest dosing requests may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Approval will depend on the ability to verify the patient’s current medication, last administered dose, clinical stability, regulatory requirements, staffing availability, and the receiving clinic’s ability to safely provide the service.

Guest Dosing at New Hope Behavioral Health Center

NHBHC may provide guest dosing to patients enrolled in another Opioid Treatment Program when all required information has been received and verified by the NHBHC medical and nursing team.
The sending OTP must provide a written guest dosing request that includes, at minimum:

• Patient’s full name and identifying information
• Signed Release of Information permitting communication between programs
• Current opioid treatment medication
• Verified current dose amount
• Date and time of last dose administered
• Requested guest dosing start date and end date
• Current phase level or take-home status, when applicable
• Provider order, authorization, or confirmation of dosing instructions
• Relevant clinical, medical, behavioral, safety, or diversion-risk concerns
• Contact information for the sending OTP and designated staff member

The patient must present a valid picture ID at the time of dosing and must comply with all NHBHC clinic rules, medication safety procedures, behavioral expectations, and applicable state and federal regulations.

Guest Dosing Fee

New Hope Behavioral Health Center charges $20.00 per day for guest/courtesy dosing services.
This fee applies to patients from outside Opioid Treatment Programs who receive guest dosing at NHBHC. Payment is due according to NHBHC’s payment procedures unless other written arrangements have been approved in advance.
Failure or refusal to pay the applicable guest dosing fee may result in denial or discontinuation of guest dosing services, unless otherwise required by law, payer contract, emergency clinical circumstances, or individualized administrative approval.

Guest Dosing for NHBHC Patients at Another OTP

When an NHBHC patient needs temporary dosing at another OTP, the patient must notify their counselor, nursing team, or treatment team as soon as possible. NHBHC will make reasonable efforts to assist with locating and coordinating with another qualified OTP; however, approval is dependent on the receiving clinic’s policies, capacity, fees, documentation requirements, and clinical acceptance.
Patients may be required to provide supporting documentation for the request, such as:

• Travel itinerary
• Work schedule
• Medical appointment documentation
• Court or legal documentation
• Family emergency documentation
• Hospital, residential, or treatment-related coordination information
• Other documentation supporting the need for temporary guest dosing

Guest dosing is individualized and may be approved when the benefit to the patient outweighs the risk. When risk outweighs benefit, other options may be considered, including adjusted care planning, additional clinical review, or other medication safety arrangements when allowed.

Reasons Guest Dosing May Be Denied or Discontinued

NHBHC reserves the right to deny, delay, or discontinue guest dosing when clinically, operationally, or legally appropriate. Reasons may include, but are not limited to:

• Inability to verify the patient’s current medication order
• Inability to verify the last dose administered
• Missing or incomplete documentation
• No valid photo identification
• Patient presents impaired, sedated, intoxicated, unstable, or medically unsafe
• Disruptive, threatening, aggressive, or inappropriate behavior
• Suspected diversion or medication safety concern
• Falsified, inconsistent, or unverifiable information
• Failure to comply with NHBHC clinic rules
• Failure to pay applicable guest dosing fees
• Determination that guest dosing is not clinically appropriate
• Lack of agreement between the sending and receiving OTPs

Length of Guest Dosing

Guest dosing is temporary and must be limited to the approved dates coordinated between the sending and receiving OTPs. Guest dosing may not exceed federally permitted limits and generally may not extend beyond 28 days, unless otherwise permitted through applicable federal, state, payer, or exception processes.
NHBHC does not use a same-county or fixed-mileage prohibition as the sole basis for denying guest dosing. Instead, requests are reviewed based on documented need, clinical appropriateness, patient safety, medication accountability, regulatory compliance, and continuity of care.

Regulatory Compliance
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All guest dosing arrangements must comply with applicable federal and state requirements, including but not limited to:

• 42 CFR Part 8
• SAMHSA OTP requirements
• DEA controlled substance requirements
• Applicable Arizona OTP licensing and Medicaid requirements
• Applicable Michigan OTP licensing, MDHHS, LARA, SOTA, Medicaid, and payer requirements
• NHBHC medication safety, diversion control, documentation, and patient care policies

Individualized Care Statement
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New Hope Behavioral Health Center is committed to meeting patients where they are with acceptance, compassion, accountability, and individualized care. Courtesy dosing decisions are made in a manner that balances access to treatment with patient safety, public safety, medication accountability, and regulatory compliance.
Approval or denial of guest dosing for one patient does not guarantee the same outcome for another patient. Each request is reviewed based on the patient’s circumstances, documentation, clinical presentation, treatment participation, risk factors, and the ability of the clinic to safely coordinate care.
NHBHC’s goal is to support recovery, reduce barriers to treatment, prevent unnecessary treatment disruption, and provide care with compassion, service excellence, integrity, harm reduction, and grace upon grace.