For health professionals

For clinicians and referrers

A straightforward pathway for BC patients who could benefit from pharmacotherapy for high-risk drinking or alcohol use disorder, with structured screening, independent prescriber review, and pharmacist follow-up.

What the service provides

  • AUDIT-based screening followed by a structured clinical intake, including withdrawal risk, opioid use, relevant comorbidities (hepatic, renal, seizure, psychiatric, pregnancy), and mental health safety screening.
  • File review by Carebridge pharmacy staff (completeness, safety flags, coverage), followed by assessment with independent physicians and nurse practitioners at partner clinics, licensed and located in BC, billed to MSP for BC residents with MSP and offered on a private-pay basis to patients elsewhere in Canada or without MSP. Prescribing decisions rest entirely with the assessing clinician.
  • First-line pharmacotherapy per the 2023 CRISM and BCCSU guideline (CMAJ): naltrexone and acamprosate, with patient-goal alignment (reduction or abstinence both supported). Targeted naltrexone dosing is discussed with patients who ask about the Sinclair Method, with honest evidence framing.
  • Dispensing, PharmaNet verification, coverage checks, discreet delivery anywhere in BC, and pharmacist follow-up through Carebridge Pharmacy in Vancouver. Patients may use any pharmacy.
  • Escalation pathways: patients flagged for significant withdrawal risk, current severe symptoms, pregnancy, or acute mental health concerns are directed to appropriate in-person or urgent care rather than managed online.

Who is appropriate to refer

Adults 19 and older anywhere in Canada with high-risk drinking or alcohol use disorder who are interested in reducing or stopping, and for whom outpatient pharmacotherapy is plausible. Patients with anticipated complicated withdrawal, acute instability, or pregnancy will be assessed but may be redirected to supervised or specialized care; the screening is designed to surface these needs early and kindly.

How to refer

  1. Point your patient to quitoh.ca and, if helpful, complete the first check together in the visit; it takes about 5 minutes.
  2. Or call Carebridge Pharmacy at (604) 876-6410, or email [email protected], to discuss the pathway before referring.
  3. Prescribers sending a prescription or clinical documents to Carebridge: fax (604) 875-6808 or email [email protected]. Please do not send patient information to the general mailbox.
  4. With patient consent, assessment outcomes are communicated back to you. We encourage shared care, and the patient's consent settings govern all communication.

Communication back to you

Patients are asked during intake whether they consent to their family physician or referring provider being informed of outcomes. We recommend it to them; some decline, and that preference is respected, consistent with privacy law. Where consent exists, you will receive the assessment outcome and any prescription details relevant to shared care.

Clinical references used by this service: the 2023 Canadian guideline for the clinical management of high-risk drinking and alcohol use disorder (CRISM and BCCSU, CMAJ); the APA practice guideline for the pharmacological treatment of patients with alcohol use disorder (2018); and the VA and DoD clinical practice guideline for substance use disorders. Screening uses the WHO AUDIT instrument.

Questions about the pathway, or feedback on a shared patient's care: (604) 876-6410 or [email protected], Carebridge Pharmacy, 101-4484 Main Street, Vancouver.