Senior citizens are not immune from opioid use disorders (OUDs), but Medicare does not cover treatment in an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP). The American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD), Advocates for Opioid Recovery (AOR), and the Collaborative for Effective Prescription Opioid Policies (CEPOP), are trying to change this. AOR and CEPOP sponsored a … [Read more...] about Need for Medicare Reimbursement for OTPs Cited in DC Briefing
2017
FDA: Keep Patients on Methadone or Buprenorphine, Even if They Test Positive for Benzodiazepines
The practice of ending treatment if patients test positive for benzodiazepines was discouraged in no uncertain terms by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last fall. Then, FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, issued a powerful twofold statement: Combining benzodiazepines and other central nervous system depressants is known to be dangerous, but kicking people out of … [Read more...] about FDA: Keep Patients on Methadone or Buprenorphine, Even if They Test Positive for Benzodiazepines
How President Trump’s Opioid Commission Supports OTPs and Comprehensive Treatment
On November 1, the White House released the long-awaited final report on the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. The report contains some good news for opioid treatment programs (OTPs)–if the recommendations can be turned into reality. The 138-page report includes strong support for medication-assisted treatment (MAT), including the use of … [Read more...] about How President Trump’s Opioid Commission Supports OTPs and Comprehensive Treatment
“Adolescent Opioid-Related Deaths are Soaring…”— An Update
An article in our August-September newsletter on the rise in adolescent opioid-related deaths included recommendations from several government and medical sources—virtually all of them suggesting expanding access to medication to treat adolescents with opioid use disorder (OUD). If passed, legislation introduced in the US Senate on November 1—the YOUTH Act—would do exactly … [Read more...] about “Adolescent Opioid-Related Deaths are Soaring…”— An Update
NIDA Launches Tools for Assessing Adolescents’ Risk of Opioid Use Disorder, Opening the Door to Medication-Assisted Treatment
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has launched two online screening tools—BSTAD and S2BI—to assess the risk of substance use disorder in adolescents aged 12-17—and the timing couldn’t be better. With the introduction and expected passage of the Youth Opioid Use Treatment Help (YOUTH) Act, practitioners who treat adolescents will welcome evidence-based, scientifically … [Read more...] about NIDA Launches Tools for Assessing Adolescents’ Risk of Opioid Use Disorder, Opening the Door to Medication-Assisted Treatment
