On December 10, 2024, Senator Markey (D-Mass) and Senator Mike Braun (R-Ind.) sent a letter to various private equity (PE) firms who have invested in opioid treatment programs (OTPs). The letter requested information...more
On July 10, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule (Proposed Rule) for the calendar year 2025. The Proposed Rule would implement certain provisions of the...more
On April 4, 2024, a final rule published on February 2, 2024 (the Final Rule) went into effect that concerns medication for the treatment of opioid use disorder. The Final Rule, published by the Substance Abuse and Mental...more
Federal and state agencies continue to remain active this year, particularly with regard to laws that impact healthcare technology. As part of our ongoing efforts to track health technology-related legislation and...more
On February 1, 2024, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) issued a final rule revising 42 CFR Part 8, which regulates opioid treatment programs (OTPs). The final rule is the first update to...more
On February 8, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) released a final rule modifying 42 CFR Part 2 (Part 2) provisions regarding the confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Patient Records. The...more
On February 2, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a Final Rule that expands access to medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) via telehealth modalities and “take-home” doses....more
After a nearly two-year delay, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Office for Civil Rights, promulgated a Final Rule...more
On February 1, 2024, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced a final rule updating the regulations regarding Opioid Treatment Programs...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (“SAMHSA”) published a final rule on Feb. 2, 2024, that cemented significant Pandemic-era flexibilities...more
On February 2nd, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a final rule expanding patient access to medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder (“OUD”). This new final rule implements changes...more
On May 10, 2023, HHS announced that many telehealth and teleprescribing flexibilities will remain in place after the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023. Congress extended many telehealth...more
On May 9, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) issued a joint statement regarding both agencies’ commitment to providing evidence-based...more
On February 24, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Agency announced proposed rules for prescribing controlled substances via telemedicine after the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency expires. The proposed rules are open for public...more
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (CAA), the massive $1.7 billion spending bill signed into law on December 29, 2022, had a number of important healthcare “gems” included. A critical provision for substance use...more
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated that 9.2 million people ages 12 and older had misused opioids in the past year. Death by overdose...more
On December 29, 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (Public Law No. 117-328) (the “Legislation”) was signed into law, which, under Section 1262 of the Legislation, contains the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), through its Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (“SAMHSA”), announced on December 13, 2022, that they were proposing to update 42 CFR Part 8,...more
On January 12, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confirmed in a letter to registrants that the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (P.L. 117-328) (the Act), which was signed into law on December 29, 2022,...more
Starting January 1, 2023, Medicare will cover telehealth-based treatment services delivered by federally-accredited opioid treatment programs (OTPs), commonly referred to as “methadone clinics.” This new reimbursement is...more
In October of 2018, Congress passed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (P.L. 115-271). The comprehensive opioid treatment law passed both chambers of Congress with large bipartisan support and tackled many aspects...more
One of the spillover effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the increase in opioid-related deaths. These deaths overwhelmingly affect working-class Americans with limited access and resources to lifesaving drugs such as...more
For the year ending August 2020, provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that opioid overdose deaths increased 26.8 percent compared to the previous 12 months, with opioid overdoses...more
This week in Washington: Senate stays in session this week as negotiations on the COVID-19 package continue, but is not expecting votes; House remains in district work period....more
...As COVID-19 cases spread across the U.S., another public health issue continues to escalate: the rise of opioid-related overdose deaths. For patients with a substance use disorder (SUD), the pandemic has increased feelings...more