Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act

Summary#

This bill changes federal controlled substances rules to let certain registered practitioners prescribe methadone for opioid use disorder (OUD) to be dispensed by pharmacies. The Attorney General, working with the Secretary, must separately register qualified practitioners. Qualified practitioners include addiction medicine physicians or addiction psychiatrists with specified board certifications, or others the Secretary finds qualified under set standards. The bill waives certain existing requirements for methadone for OUD and allows dispensing to individuals for supervised or unsupervised use. Prescriptions must be electronic and for liquid or dispersible tablet formulations. Dispensing through pharmacies is meant to be in addition to care available at opioid treatment programs. Practitioners must get and document informed consent, including information about differences in confidentiality when care is from a pharmacy versus an opioid treatment program. Telemedicine may be used for maintenance or detoxification treatment under this authority. A pharmacy does not need a separate registration to dispense methadone prescribed under this provision. States may request that the Attorney General stop registering practitioners in the State, and the Attorney General must cease registrations, revoke existing registrations, and deny pending applications for practitioners in that State if requested. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) must report to Congress within 180 days of enactment and annually after that, with: the number of registered practitioners by State; a list of States that requested cessation; the number of registration revocations or suspensions based on violations related to methadone prescribing by these practitioners; and the number of pharmacies that ordered methadone in liquid or dispersible tablet formulations. The act (and its amendments) takes effect 180 days after enactment.

What it means for you#

  • Patients: Eligible patients could receive methadone for OUD from a pharmacy after a prescription from a specially registered practitioner. Prescriptions must be electronic and in liquid or dispersible tablet form. Patients should be given and asked to sign informed consent that explains confidentiality differences between pharmacy dispensing and opioid treatment programs.
  • Practitioners: Certain addiction specialists (or others approved by the Secretary) can seek a new separate registration to prescribe methadone for OUD to be filled at pharmacies. They must document informed consent and follow electronic prescribing rules and quantity rules under federal and state law.
  • Pharmacies: Pharmacies may dispense methadone prescribed under this program without obtaining a separate registration. They will dispense liquid or dispersible tablet formulations as prescribed.
  • States: A State can ask the Attorney General to stop the program in that State; if a State requests this, registrations in that State must stop and current or pending registrations can be revoked or denied.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on federal cost estimates, funding sources, or changes in spending is provided in the bill text or metadata.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information on proponents' statements or arguments is included in the bill text or metadata.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information on opponents' statements or arguments is included in the bill text or metadata.