Archive for April, 2013
Department of Health and Human Services Final Rule – Modification of Dispensing Restrictions of Buprenorphine and Buprenorphine Combination as Used in Approved Opioid Treatment Medications
Posted in: AATOD
Leave a Comment (0) →“We particularly appreciate the sensitivity of providing such guidance to the county at a time of increasing prescription opioid abuse and addiction. These proposed regulations expand the entities to which ultimate users may transfer unused, unwanted or expired controlled substances for the purpose of disposal as w ell as the methods by which such controlled substances mayb e collected.”
Click Here to read the entire letter on on AATOD’s response to
I am providing a progress report on AATOD’s activities over the course of the past year since the “Challenges/Solutions” policy paper was published during June 2011.
AATOD Conference
AATOD had a successful National Conference which convened in Las Vegas, Nevada during April 2012. Approximately 1,400 people participated in this conference, making it one of the best attended conferences in recent history. The content was rich, including a number of pre-conference sessions focusing on patient advocacy training, tobacco cessation, integrating Hepatitis therapy in OTPs, increasing access to Medication Assisted Treatment in Drug Courts, the Opioid Maintenance Pharmacotherapy Course for Clinicians, and training for using buprenorphine in OTPs.
The theme of the conference, “Recovery for Patients, Families, and Communities”, was reiterated during a plenary session as well as a number of the workshop topics. As many people in the field know, producing this conference is our Association’s method of providing the most current clinical and policy information to our associates in the United States and abroad.
Health Care Reform
The AATOD Board of Directors is of the judgment that Health Care Reform is one of the most critical issues affecting our patients and the future of our treatment system. AATOD has been working with the Legal Action Center and the Coalition for Whole Health in developing policies in support of how Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction will be made available to Americans who would benefit from such treatment. Many of us in the field of addiction treatment were surprised when the federal government decided to allow the states to determine what Essential Health Benefits would be covered under Health Care Reform. Now that the Supreme Court has upheld the Affordable Care Act AATOD will continue its partnership with the Coalition in working with state provider organizations as a method of advocating for our patients. We also realize that this is an especially daunting task given the weak economy and shrinking state budgets.
Posted in: Blog
Leave a Comment (0) →Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of including medication in the treatment of some individuals with substance use disorders. For years, there has been limited use of medications for the treatment of substance dependence. Today, however, public and private health insurance plans are including (or at least considering) coverage of medication services along with psychosocial interventions for treatment of substance use disorders. A growing body of research substantiates that the use of FDA-approved medications can play an important role in the treatment of substance use disorders, especially for people with alcohol, opioid, or nicotine dependence, with continued research being done on medications for other substance use disorders. These studies demonstrate the efficacy of treating addiction as a chronic disease. READ MORE
Posted in: Best Practices, North Carolina
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