In a brush-back pitch to DOJ opioid initiatives, the U.S. Supreme Court this past June issued an important decision clarifying the mental state the government must establish to convict a licensed medical professional of...more
On June 27, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an important decision for doctors who have been convicted of violating the federal Controlled Substances Act in connection with the nation’s opioid crisis. In Ruan v. United...more
Last week the Supreme Court ("the Court") released a decision holding that the Federal Controlled Substance Act (the "Act") provision that criminalizes the dispensing of a controlled substance “except as authorized” includes...more
In response to the opioid epidemic, many states, including Texas, created prescription drug monitoring programs to monitor high-risk patients and provider behaviors. The Texas Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (“PMP”) is...more
Last year, the Oklahoma legislature joined a growing number of states in taking direct aim at the opioid crisis by enacting legislation designed to combat the forgery of paper prescriptions. More than a year and a half after...more
In May of 2018, the Oklahoma Legislature enacted House Bill 2931 as part of an ongoing effort to combat the opioid crisis. HB 2931 is expected to help lessen the opioid crisis by combating forgery of paper prescriptions. ...more
Recently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) published its annual proposed rule outlining potential changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (“PFS”) for upcoming Calendar Year (“CY”) 2020 (“Proposed...more
Grounded in the bipartisan Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act designed to "alleviate the nationwide opioid crisis," CMS's proposed...more
Next week, I begin a five-part podcast series on emerging issues in healthcare compliance with Jesse Caplan, Managing Director of Corporate Oversight at Affiliated Monitors, Inc. (AMI), the sponsor of the series. Caplan has...more
This spring, Oklahoma joined several states in the nationwide movement to restrict opioid prescriptions. Generally, Senate Bill 1446 places limits on the number of opioid pills that practitioners can prescribe and puts in...more
There is a host of new, ever changing, and conflicting guidelines from a multitude of regulators and academic societies. This evolving and uncertain landscape is making the life of a practicing pain physician in the midst of...more
On October 3, 2018, the Senate voted 98-1 to pass a compromise opioids response package that includes key provisions to expand telehealth coverage and reimbursement. The House had previously passed the opioids agreement...more
Gov. Christie’s Administration recently proposed a regulation to curtail the prescription of unnecessary opioid painkillers. Christie, who serves as the Chairman of President Trump’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction...more
Two recent announcements reflect that the U.S. Government is taking aggressive steps to address opioid abuse by identifying and targeting the involvement of medical professionals in facilitating opioid abuse involving Federal...more
Beginning April 1, 2017, the regulations regarding opiate prescribing will be changing. A Delaware healthcare practitioner will only be able to prescribe initial opioid prescriptions for acute pain episodes for up to seven...more
New Hampshire is starting 2017 with stepped-up efforts to manage its oft-described opioid epidemic. Though the most recent regulations are directed at individual prescribers, and do not apply to the administration of opioids...more