A bipartisan group of 13 senators yesterday urged Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to initiate a rulemaking process to modernize 42 CFR Part 2 to allow safer, more effective and better-coordinated treatment for patients with substance use disorders. “A lack of access to the full scope of medical information for each patient can result in the inability of providers and organizations to deliver safe, high-quality treatment and care coordination,” wrote Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.; Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.; Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Bill Cassidy, R-La.; Jeffrey Merkley, D-Ore.; Thom Tillis, R-N.C.; Mike Rounds, R-S.D.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Deb Fischer, R-Neb.; and Kamala Harris, D-Calif. “The barriers presented by Part 2 can result in the failure to integrate services and can lead to potentially dangerous medical situations for patients.” The House last year passed bipartisan legislation (H.R. 6082) to align Part 2 with HIPAA for treatment, payment and health care operations, among other improvements, the letter notes. AHA supported the bill. It also supported a Senate companion introduced by Senators Manchin and Capito in the last Congress, which did not advance to a vote.

Related News Articles

Headline
The Food and Drug Administration Sept. 10 released draft guidance on non-opioid treatments for treating chronic pain and reducing prescription opioid misuse.…
Headline
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Sept. 10 advanced the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3593), AHA-supported…
Headline
The House Appropriations Committee Sept. 9 advanced the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education…
Headline
A Health Affairs study published Sept. 2 found that less than 40% of Medicare beneficiaries with opioid use disorder received standard care in alignment with…
Headline
The AHA Sept. 4 expressed support for the Hospitals As Naloxone Distribution Sites Act (H.R. 5120), legislation that would require Medicare and Medicaid to…
Headline
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Aug. 5 announced a new campaign educating youth ages 12-17 on substance use, mental health and how they are…