Following bipartisan letter signed by Senator Susan Collins, HHS proposes New Federal Rule to Address Opioid Addiction by Expanding Access to Evidence-Based Treatment

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Following a bipartisan letter sent by U.S Senator Susan Collins to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell urging her to raise the current prescriber caps for medically assisted treatment for addiction, HHS has issued a proposed rule that will raise the caps for trained physicians who prescribe buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorders from 100 to 200 patients.

“Research and considerable clinical experience throughout the U.S. and the world have proven that buprenorphine can be effective treatment people struggling with opioid addiction.  I am pleased the Administration has acted on our bipartisan recommendation and issued a revised rule that would change the federal regulations that have limited access to these proven treatments, particularly for patients in rural America," said Senator Collins. "Allowing more physicians to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid addiction will better equip our health care professionals on the front lines of this epidemic and expand access to addiction care for Americans across our country, particularly in large rural states like Maine.”

In August of 2015, Senator Collins and a bipartisan delegation of Senators wrote to HHS Secretary Burwell urging her to “raise the current prescriber caps for providers in the appropriate practice environment for highly effective MAT medications such as buprenorphine therapy as an important part of larger collaborative efforts between the Congress and the Administration to address substance abuse disorders.” Click HERE to read the full text of the letter. 

Senator Collins has long advocated raising the patient caps that limit individual physicians who prescribe medication-assisted therapy (MAT) for the treatment of opioid addiction.