What's in a number? Recommending practicality in the DATA 2000 patient limits.

This article analyzes the US Department of Health and Human Services' final rule (Final Rule) on MAT, common barriers to treatment, and the cost-benefit of treatment in light of the current opioid abuse epidemic. The article finds that while the Final Rule was a step in the right direction, it does not go far enough to adequately address the epidemic. Finally, the article proposes practical recommendations for increasing patient access to treatment for OUDs, including increasing the patient limit for highly qualified addiction treatment providers so that they can practice addiction medicine on a full-time basis and exempting buprenorphine products labeled by the US Food and Drug Administration for direct administration from the practitioner's patient limit. PMID: 27575825 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Journal of Opioid Management - Category: Addiction Tags: J Opioid Manag Source Type: research