New federal opioid use disorder treatment regulations open doors for more seeking treatment.
It’s been more than 20 years since the federal government updated regulations for opioid treatment programs (OTPs). However, U.S. federal budget reconciliations for 2023 included some important updates to the way opioid use disorders (OUDs) can be treated moving forward.
Notably, the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act offers greater flexibility for providers treating those with OUD, as it allows OTP providers with a valid DEA registration number to prescribe buprenorphine without a waiver, if compliant with state laws. Buprenorphine is a medicated-assisted treatment for OUD, used as a replacement for heroin or methadone. A combination of medicated-assisted treatment and counseling has been shown to be successful in treating opioid dependence.
Removing the waiver requirement does not apply to other common medicated-assisted treatments like methadone. However, buprenorphine can be prescribed via telehealth as well under the appropriations act, maintaining a COVID-19 era flexibility.
Additional OTP regulatory changes included in the appropriations act include allowing for clients to have access to take-home medications earlier in the treatment process. There will also be greater access to telehealth, benefiting clients younger than 18 or those who struggle to travel for care.
As providers and organizations navigate new regulatory changes and the ways in which OUDs are diagnosed and treated, there may be added administrative challenges and requirements to manage. FEI Systems designed our behavioral health case management platform and ancillary modules to align with SAMHSA’s strategic framework and be configurable to meet federal and state requirements for SUD treatment. Our OTP registry module is available for our customers to help providers manage the enrollment/disenrollment of clients from substance use treatment programs. For example, our OTP Registry is used by our clients to ensure providers who administer medication-assisted treatment can coordinate with other clinics and prevent clients from receiving treatment at multiple facilities.
Our OTP registry provides both the state and the OTP provider organizations the assurance that patients are receiving appropriate services across the network and allows for state or provider level reporting, appropriately filtered by the provider agency, on clients attempting to access these types of services within a state.
We remain committed to providing comprehensive solutions to our state and local behavioral health agency partners to assist them in their support of individuals battling SUD.
