Below is Alston & Bird’s Health Care Week in Review, which provides a synopsis of the latest news in health care regulations, notices, and guidance; federal legislation and congressional committee action; reports, studies,...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 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
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
In a significant stride toward expanding access to addiction treatment services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published, on January 31, its Final Rule allowing telehealth access to...more
House Energy and Commerce Committee Holds Hearing on Healthcare Costs. The hearing included discussion on what factors are causing cost increases for individuals, for the healthcare sector, and for federal health programs...more
This month, the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), in conjunction with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (“SAMHSA”), issued a Second Temporary Rule further extending the telemedicine waivers...more
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have further extended flexibilities that allow providers to prescribe controlled substances...more
This report was written in partnership with and funded by the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government and many states offered regulatory flexibilities intended to make...more
Reversing previously proposed rules, the DEA recently issued new guidance allowing the continued use of telehealth when prescribing controlled substances following the end of the Covid-19 public health emergency (“PHE”)....more
Since the declaration of the public health emergency due to the COVID-19 epidemic, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registered practitioners have been able to prescribe controlled substances, without a prior in-person...more
This week, the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), in conjunction with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (“SAMHSA”), issued a temporary rule extending the telemedicine waivers of the Ryan...more
Two days ahead of the expiration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) issued a temporary rule extending...more
The Big Picture - On February 24, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), issued two proposed rules that address the prescribing of controlled...more
To assist healthcare providers and others in the industry during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has issued guidance addressing specific areas of concern, including practitioner...more
As federal agencies scramble to provide regulatory relief from the fall-out of the coronavirus pandemic taking hold in the United States, several waivers and bulletins provide guidance specifically applicable to substance use...more
In 2016, 11.5 million Americans were misusing prescription opioids, with the abuse reaching epidemic levels in 2017. The opioid crisis has accelerated the need for healthcare stakeholders to play a more active role in...more
Senate Working Group Pressing Forward on Telehealth - As Congress focuses on bigger picture policy decisions, including broad budget negotiations and raising the debt ceiling, there are some exciting developments on the...more