The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Division of Pharmacologic Therapies (DPT)

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT)

I. OTP Guidance for Patients Quarantined at Home with the Coronavirus

1. Document that the patient is medically ordered to be under isolation or quarantine. When 

possible confirm source of information - e.g., doctor’s order, medical record. Ensure the 

documentation is maintained in the patient’s OTP record.

2. Identify a trustworthy, patient-designated, uninfected member of the household,

1 to 

deliver the medications using the OTP’s established chain of custody protocol for take 

home medication. This protocol should already be in place and in compliance with 

respective state and DEA regulations. OTPs should obtain documentation now for each 

patient as to who is designated permission to pick up medication for them and maintain 

this process of determining a designee for any new patients. 

3. If a trustworthy member of the household is unavailable or unable to come to the OTP, 

then the OTP should prepare a “doorstep” delivery of take home medications. Any 

medication taken out of the OTP must be in an approved lock box.

- The OTP should always communicate with the patient prior to delivery to reduce risk 

of diversion. This may involve, but is not limited to: 

a. Call placed to the patient prior to staff departure to deliver the medication 

ensuring that the patient or their approved designee (who must be a member 

of the patient’s household) is available to receive the medication at the address 

provided by the patient and recorded in the patient’s OTP medical record. 

b. Upon arrival, medication is delivered to the patient’s residence door and 

another call is made to the patient/designee notifying that the medications are 

at the door. 

c. The OTP staff is to retreat a minimum of 6 feet to observe that the 

medications are picked up by the patient or the designated person to receive 

the medications. The OTP staff person must ask the person who is retrieving 

the medication to identify themselves. Staff should determine that the person 

appearing to retrieve the medication is the patient or the household member 

named by the patient as having permission to do so. The OTP staff who 

deliver the medication shall remain until they have observe the retrieval of the 

medication by the patient or household member, and then document

 1 Under the Controlled Substances Act, controlled substances may only be dispensed to an “ultimate user,” which 

is defined as “a person who has lawfully obtained, and who possesses, a controlled substance for his own use or

for the use of a member of his household or for an animal owned by him or by a member of his household.” 21 

USC 802(27). 
confirmation that medications were received by the patient or household 

member identified as permitted to pick up the medication.

d. Do not leave medication in an unsecured area. OTP staff must remain with the 

medication until the patient or designated household member arrives and 

retrieves the medication. 

e. If the patient or household member who is to receive the medication is not at 

the designated location, an attempt should be made to reach that person. If the 

person does not arrive in a reasonable period of time (this wait period will 

need to be determined by OTP staff), then the staff person must bring the 

medication back to the OTP where it will be stored in the pharmacy area until 

a determination is made as to whether another attempt will be made to deliver 

medication. Any medication returned to the OTP must be logged in. The 

medication delivery and pick up by the patient or designated household 

member, or return of medications to the OTP, must be documented in the 

patient’s OTP record and appropriate pharmacy records.

Updated 3/30/20