DEA Pumps the Brakes on Congress ’ Move to Increase Access to Addiction Treatment

Jeffrey A. SingerIn the latest episode of “Cops Practicing Medicine, ” the Drug Enforcement Administration announced new telehealthguidelines for patients with substance use disorder receiving medication ‐​assisted treatment (MAT) with buprenorphine. Last December, Congress passed theMainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act with bipartisan support. The actremoved the onerous rules and regulations surrounding the “X waiver” that the DEA required health care practitioners to obtain if they wanted to treat addiction with buprenorphine. These requirements deterred many health care providers from offering medication‐​assisted treatment to patients with addiction. According toone study, 87 percent of people with opioid ‐​use disorder go without treatment. By removing these restrictions, lawmakers hope more health care practitioners will begin treating substance use disorder and thus expand access to addiction treatment.Alas, the cops think they know better how to treat addiction. Thenew rule requires that any patients initially begun on buprenorphine via telehealth must see the prescribing practitioner in person within 30 days. The rule limits the prescription to a 30 ‐​day supply. This means if the patient can’t get an office appointment with the provider within 30 days, the buprenorphine treatment abruptly ends. It alreadyaverages 26 days to get a new appointment with a primary care provider, so there is no guarantee a&nb...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs