Bill Won’t Limit First-Time Opioid Scripts—But Allows Remote Medication-Assisted Treatment

Many medical organizations, insurers, and state legislatures have responded to the ongoing opioid crisis by limiting the number of doses prescribed for acute pain at any one time. The bill just passed by the U.S. Senate, however, puts no limits on first-time prescriptions for opiates. That’s in contrast to earlier versions of the bill, which did seek to impose hard limits on opioid prescriptions. The American Medical Association, among other stakeholders, objected to the idea of federal limitations. What the Opioid Crisis Response Act does do is give the Drug Enforcement Administration more power to regulate manufacturing quotas for controlled substances, and grant physicians the authority to prescribe medication-assisted treatments (eg, buprenorphine and methadone) remotely, to make treatment for opioid addiction more accessible in rural areas. Of note for occupational medicine providers: Similar to the bill passed in the House of Representatives, the Senate bill does not alter enforcement parity laws, which mandate that employers and insurers comprehensively cover treatment for behavioral health conditions, which includes addiction in their definition.