Changing the Default for Tobacco Treatment

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact and efficacy of a new approach to smoking cessation treatment versus the traditional approach.

In many health conditions, the default treatment approach is to first identify the health condition and then begin treatment. In this scenario, the physician discusses treatment options with the patient. The patient is free to decline treatment as they wish. If patients do nothing though, they will receive care. For tobacco users, the default treatment is for them to "opt in" to receive smoking cessation assistance. The provider asks the smoker if they are ready to quit, and they offer medication and support only to those who respond back "yes". This limits the amount of smokers that receive treatment because only 1 in 3 smokers say they are ready to quit. This study is looking at a novel approach to smoking cessation treatment. This study will compare the traditional, "standard of care" approach to opting in against a new approach where all smokers are provided with cessation medication and counseling unless they refuse it.