On August 22 the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in one of the biggest rulemakings undertaken in recent history, announced proposed changes to 42 CFR Part 2, the regulation which protects confidentiality for patients treatment in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment programs, including methadone. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for … [Read more...] about SAMHSA to Drop SUD Treatment Confidentiality Rule, Because “Times Change”
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State Variation in Medicaid Prescriptions for Opioid Use Disorder from 2011 to 2018
Expanding access to effective treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) is essential to staunching the opioid epidemic. Access to these treatments is particularly important in Medicaid, which covers a disproportionately large share of people with OUD (MACPAC 2017). Despite strong evidence supporting the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy for OUD (sometimes called … [Read more...] about State Variation in Medicaid Prescriptions for Opioid Use Disorder from 2011 to 2018
Feds to Revamp Confidentiality Rules for Addiction Treatment
Federal health officials proposed Thursday to revamp stringent patient confidentiality regulations from the 1970s to encourage coordination among medical professionals treating people caught in the nation’s opioid epidemic. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the goal is to make it easier to share a patient’s drug treatment history with doctors treating that … [Read more...] about Feds to Revamp Confidentiality Rules for Addiction Treatment
Johnson & Johnson Must Pay $572 Million to Oklahoma for the Company’s Role in the Epidemic
There are no real winners in the opioid epidemic. But on August 26, a judge in Oklahoma handed a small victory to the state, which had sued opioid-maker Johnson & Johnson for its role in the morass. In the first such ruling to hold a pharmaceutical company responsible for the opioid crisis, the judge found that the company had falsely and dangerously marketed the … [Read more...] about Johnson & Johnson Must Pay $572 Million to Oklahoma for the Company’s Role in the Epidemic
West Virginia Doctor Pleads Guilty in Pain Pill Case
A West Virginia doctor has pleaded guilty to illegally distributing prescription opioid medications. U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart says in a news release Muhammed Samer Nasher-Alneam pleaded guilty in federal court in Charleston last week. Nasher-Alneam operated the Neurology & Pain Center in Charleston. He admitted to writing prescriptions in July 2014 for oxycodone and … [Read more...] about West Virginia Doctor Pleads Guilty in Pain Pill Case
