New Rule Helps Expand MAT to People With Opioid Use Disorders

SAMHSA has issued new reporting requirements for physicians who will be authorized to prescribe the opioid use disorder treatment medication buprenorphine at the new limit of 275 patients.

The rule, finalized on July 8, 2016, allows practitioners who have had a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine for up to 100 patients for a year or more to now obtain a waiver to treat up to 275 patients. Practitioners are eligible to obtain the waiver if they have additional credentialing in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry from a specialty medical board or professional society, or practice in a qualified setting as described in the rule.

Under the new rule, physicians will be required to complete a SAMHSA reporting form each year. This reporting form will help SAMHSA ensure that physicians prescribing at the new higher levels are in compliance with safe and appropriate prescribing practices.

The rule announced today is part of HHS' Opioid Initiative, which was launched in March 2015 and is focused on improving opioid prescribing practices; expanding access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorders; and increasing the use of naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses.

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