Braeburn Applauds Passage of Significant Advancements in the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder
Plymouth Meeting, Pa.—December 23, 2022—The recently passed Senate Amendment to H.R. 2617 – Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 – includes significant advances in the treatment of opioid use disorder by expanding access to treatment and eliminating policies that created barriers and contributed to stigmatization of the disease.
“The passage of H.R. 2617 reinforces the depth and urgency of this public health crisis, recognizes the need to treat opioid use disorder like other chronic diseases, and increases healthcare professionals’ access to available medications,” said Joshua M. Cohen, MD, MPH, FAHS, Chief Medical Officer at Braeburn. “We applaud and thank the many healthcare professionals, advocates, and members of Congress that worked to ensure the inclusion of these important provisions in the bill.”
Among several provisions related to opioid and other substance use disorders, the legislation eliminates the need for clinicians to apply for a DATA 2000 waiver, or X-waiver, to administer medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). The elimination of the waiver also removes limitations on the number of patients a healthcare professional can treat with MOUD.
Additionally, the legislation increases the number of days a healthcare professional can store certain controlled substances before they must be administered from 14 days to 45 days. There are significant barriers to accessing medications for opioid use disorder that often cause delays on behalf of both the healthcare professional and patient. Extending the time will provide healthcare professionals and their patients flexibility to ensure patients can receive the medication and reduce waste in the healthcare system.
Further, the legislation recognizes the significant needs for education and funding by requiring a campaign to raise public awareness of synthetic opioids and emerging drug use and misuse trends, and providing additional funding for State and Tribal opioid response grants.
With over 80,000 opioid overdose deaths in 2021, advancements in treatment are desperately needed. Not only are people with opioid use disorder stigmatized, but treatment of opioid use disorder has been limited through policies that mandated specialized certifications and requirements. By allowing more healthcare professionals to treat more patients and more easily access medication, patients with opioid use disorder will have better access to the treatments.
About Braeburn
Braeburn is dedicated to delivering solutions for people living with the serious consequences of opioid use disorder. At Braeburn, we challenge the status quo and champion transformation of the management of opioid use disorder (OUD) by partnering with the community to help create a world where every person with OUD gets the best possible care and opportunity to reach their full potential. Visit https://braeburnrx.com to learn more. Connect with Braeburn on LinkedIn at https://linkedin.com/company/Braeburn.
For additional information, please contact:
Colleen Saltmer: csaltmer@braeburnrx.com