HHS Releases New Practice Guidelines to Expand Treatment Accessibility to Americans With Opioid Use Disorder

August 17, 2021 by Alec Stone MA, MPA, Former ONS Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy

Access to treatment for opioid use disorder (https://voice.ons.org/advocacy/biden-harris-administrations-drug-policy-priorities-support-prevention-treatment-and) is a priority in the Biden-Harris administration’s healthcare program, with resources from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) dedicated to raise awareness of the issue. In April 2021, HHS released new practice guidelines to expand evidence-based treatment to more Americans with opioid use disorder.

The Practice Guidelines for the Administration of Buprenorphine for Treating Opioid Use Disorder exempts certain healthcare workers from federal certification requirements relating to training and counseling that are part of the process for obtaining a waiver. The exemption applies to their treatment of up to 30 patients using buprenorphine, according (https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2021/04/27/hhs-releases-new-buprenorphine-practice-guidelines-expanding-access-to-treatment-for-opioid-use-disorder.html) to an HHS press release. Buprenorphine (https://www.samhsa.gov/medication-assisted-treatment/medications-counseling-related-conditions/buprenorphine) is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat opioid use disorder as a medication-assisted therapy as part of a comprehensive treatment plan that includes counseling and behavioral therapies.

HHS says the practice guidelines and exemptions recommend (https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2021/04/27/hhs-releases-new-buprenorphine-practice-guidelines-expanding-access-to-treatment-for-opioid-use-disorder.html) that:

“The spike we’ve seen in opioid-involved deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic requires us to do all we can to make treatment more accessible,” Tom Coderre, acting assistant secretary for mental health and substance use, said (https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2021/04/27/hhs-releases-new-buprenorphine-practice-guidelines-expanding-access-to-treatment-for-opioid-use-disorder.html). “These new guidelines are an important step forward in reducing barriers to treatment and will ultimately help more people find recovery.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm) that 90,000 drug deaths occurred in the United States in the 12 months ending in September 2020 and that the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic contributed to overdose death rates. HHS’s new guidelines are set to help further emphasize the need for accessible treatment services.

“Addiction treatment should be a routine part of health care, and this new guideline will make access to quality treatment for opioid use disorder more accessible,” Regina LaBelle, acting director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said (https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2021/04/27/hhs-releases-new-buprenorphine-practice-guidelines-expanding-access-to-treatment-for-opioid-use-disorder.html). “The guideline is another important step forward in our efforts to bend the curve of the overdose and addiction epidemic.”

Approximately 20%–50% of all patients with cancer and 80% of those with advanced disease experience (https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/side-effects/pain/pain-hp-pdq) cancer-related pain. Opioids are an important treatment option for the right patients, but the benefits of their use must be balanced with harms. ONS offers resources to prevent (https://voice.ons.org/news-and-views/how-to-prevent-opioid-misuse-while-effectively-managing-cancer-pain) opioid misuse while managing (https://voice.ons.org/conferences/opioids-can-be-used-safely-for-cancer-related-pain) cancer pain.

Nurses have a responsibility to educate all patients on opioids and opioid misuse to lower opioid-related death rates (https://voice.ons.org/news-and-views/opioid-related-death-rates-are-increasing-but-less-so-in-cancer-survivors). Join ONS and other health organizations in advocating for strategies for safe access and careful use in light of the opioid epidemic.


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