“Today, Senators Hatch (R-UT) and Markey (D-MA) led a bipartisan group of 22 senators in writing to Sylvia Burwell, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to call on HHS to allow for greater access to medication assisted treatment (MAT) in the Department’s proposed rule on the topic published on March 30, 2016.
The proposed rule on MAT would increase the highest limit on the number of patients waivered practitioners can treat with buprenorphine from 100 patients per practitioner to 200 patients. However, in recognition of the huge disparity that exists between those who can prescribe opioids for treatment of pain and those who can prescribe treatments for opioid use disorders, and the large gap between those with opioid use disorders and those receive treatment for their illness, the Senate is advancing legislation that would raise this patient cap to 500 patients. The letter sent by the group of Senators today urges HHS to take into account the bipartisan work done by the Senate on this legislation, S. 1455, The Recovery Enhancement for Addiction Treatment (TREAT) Act, when finalizing their proposed rule.”
The press release can be accessed at: http://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-hatch-and-markey-call-on-hhs-to-follow-senate-lead-in-increasing-access-to-opioid-addiction-treatment
The letter sent to HHS can be accessed at: http://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Letter%20to%20Sec.%20Burwell%20on%20MAT%20
proposed%20rule.pdf
Source: Markey.Senate.gov – June 1, 2016
