ASAM Provides Comments to SAMHSA's Medications for the Treatment of OUD Proposed Rule

On February 12th, ASAM provided comments to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) on its proposed modifications to regulations of medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) in 42 C.F.R. Part 8. In the letter, ASAM applauded many of the new rule's proposals, including those that continue and enhance regulatory flexibilities beyond the COVID-19 public health emergency, expand access to and improve the quality of care at opioid treatment programs (OTPs), and promote a patient-practitioner relationship in an integrated system of collaborative care. Key ASAM recommendations include, but are not limited to, requiring OTP medical directors to have a minimum amount of experience in addiction treatment to ensure benefits and minimize harms to patients at OTPs, adjusting the interim methadone treatment period from 180 to 360 days, and finalizing the definition of long-term care facilities with modifications to include local jails, and state and federal prisons, with further modifications to expand the reach of these facilities.

Read the letter here.