One-page briefing · DoH Abu Dhabi
Standard for Substance Use Disorder Treatment
and Rehabilitation
A new V1 standard setting the minimum regulatory requirements for
identifying, assessing and treating SUD across the Emirate — and what must be in
place at each level of the care system.
ReferenceDOH/ST/HQS/SUD(TR/V1/26
PublishedAugust 2026
EffectiveNovember 2026
StatusNew · V1
Who it binds
Every DoH-licensed facility and professional providing any component of SUD care in
Abu Dhabi — primary care, outpatient day care, inpatient and residential
rehabilitation. It supersedes DOH/ST/HCFS/SUDsTR/V1/2024 outright; where the two
conflict, this one wins.
What changed
- Four defined levels of care, each with its own eligibility, exclusion and staffing
requirements, and documented thresholds for moving between them.
- Named screening tools with the scores that trigger action — a coder or auditor
can now check whether the documented score matched the documented response.
- ICD-11 named as the diagnostic framework, or a recorded clinical basis for
the current level of care.
- A documentation list that applies at every level, not only on admission.
- Level 2 day-care requirements activate only when DoH formally licenses day-care
facilities. Everything else applied on publication.
The numbers worth memorising
| Levels 3 & 4 clock |
Withdrawal assessment within 6 hours, clinical assessment within
24, MDT care plan within 72. Discharge summary to the receiving
clinician within 24 hours. |
| Level 2 intensity |
IOP 9–19 h/week over at least 3 days for 8–12 weeks.
PHP 20+ h/week over 5–6 days for 4–8 weeks. |
| Screening triggers |
AUDIT ≥16 → direct referral. CIWA-Ar ≥16 severe.
COWS ≥13 moderate–severe. PHQ-9 and GAD-7 ≥10.
PCL-5 ≥33. |
| Relapse |
Reassessment within 48 hours. Relapse is a clinical event and never
grounds for automatic discharge. |
What it means for coding and billing
- Billing follows the Standard Provider Contract, the DoH Mandatory Tariff and the
Claims and Adjudication Rules — this standard does not change the tariff, it
changes what has to be in the record behind the claim.
- Facilities report to JAWDA on screening within the same consultation, MDT
plan within 72 hours, discharges with confirmed follow-up, 30-day readmissions,
retention at 12 months and relapse rate.
- Controlled medicines are prescribed de novo at the receiving facility at
every level transition; inter-facility transfer of narcotics is not permitted.
- Prescribing events register on NPCM; facilities integrate with
Malaffi.
What to do about it
- Check that your documentation templates capture every screening score with its date
and the clinical response — a score with no recorded response is the finding an
auditor writes up.
- Confirm the level-of-care placement rationale is written down at every placement and
every transition.
- If you are a Level 3 or 4 facility, check the 6 / 24 / 72 hour clock against what
your records actually show.
Read the standard itself. This briefing is a summary for working coders and RCM
staff. It is not a substitute for the published document, and DoH may issue a revision.
Genesis is an independent
training provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting for the Department
of Health, Abu Dhabi.