The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration today proposed updating opioid treatment program standards and admission criteria to expand access to treatment. According to the agency, the rule would expand the definition of OTP practitioner to include any provider appropriately licensed to dispense and/or prescribe approved medications; no longer require one year of opioid addiction for admission; add evidence-based delivery models such as telehealth; expand patient access to take-home methadone doses; and no longer require annual reports from practitioners with a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine to up to 275 patients. The agency will accept comments on the proposed rule through Feb. 14.

Related News Articles

Headline
An AHA blog published Sept. 16 highlights programs and practices by Boston Medical Center leaders and staff that support residents’ mental health, emotional…
Headline
Susan Doherty, AHA’s vice president of field engagement, and Rebecca Chickey, AHA’s senior director of behavioral health services, write on the unique ways…
Blog
This year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that over 49,000 people died by suicide in 2023, the latest year for which data was…
Headline
Corey Feist, CEO and co-founder of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation, and Tiffany Lyttle, R.N., director of cultural integration at Centra Health, discuss…
Blog
Public
Medical residency is one of the most demanding stages in a physician’s career. Long hours, intense learning and new responsibilities often push trainees to…
Headline
A Gallup report published Sept. 9 found that nearly 48 million Americans currently have or are being treated for depression. The total, which equals 18.3% of…