(May 12, 2023) – DEA, SAMHSA Extend COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescribing Controlled Medications
Ahead of the expiration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration issued the "Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications" – a temporary rule that extends telemedicine flexibilities adopted during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The temporary rule will take effect on May 11, 2023, and extends the full set of telemedicine flexibilities adopted during the COVID-19 public health emergency for six months – through November 11, 2023. For any practitioner-patient telemedicine relationships that have been or will be established up to November 11, 2023, the full set of telemedicine flexibilities regarding the prescription of controlled medications established during the COVID-19 PHE will be extended for one year – through November 11, 2024. The DEA reported that the agency received 38,000 comments on its proposed telemedicine rules, noting the importance of telemedicine in providing access to needed medication while working to put appropriate safeguards in place.
New Training Requirements for DEA Registrants on the Management of Patients with Substance Use Disorders Beginning June 27
Section 1262 of the 'Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (PDF | 3.8 MB)' removed the federal requirement for practitioners to apply for a special waiver prior to prescribing buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder. It also removed other federal requirements associated with the waiver such as discipline restrictions, patient limits, and certification related to the provision of counseling. Separately, section 1263 of the 'Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (PDF | 3.8 MB)' requires new or renewing Drug Enforcement Administration registrants, starting June 27, 2023, upon submission of their application, to have at least one of the following:
- A total of eight hours of training from certain organizations on opioid or other substance use disorders for practitioners renewing or newly applying for registration from the DEA to prescribe any Schedule II-V controlled medications;
- Board certification in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry from the American Board of Medical Specialties, American Board of Addiction Medicine, or the American Osteopathic Association; or
- Graduation within five years and status in good standing from medical, advanced practice nursing, or physician assistant school in the United States that included successful completion of an opioid or other substance use disorder curriculum of at least eight hours.
For more information, see the letter to DEA Registrants regarding the new training requirements and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration FAQs regarding the removal of the X-Waiver requirement.
New Recommendations for Hepatitis B Screening – May 16
In recognition of Hepatitis Awareness Month, the Health Resources & Services Administration Bureau of Primary Health Care is hosting a webinar to brief clinicians and other health care providers about the release of new recommendations for hepatitis B screening and testing at noon on Tuesday, May 16. During the call, Dr. Erin Conners will discuss how the updated recommendations differ from the 2008 recommendations, and explain the rationale for the changes. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions about the science supporting these changes and the expected impact of these recommendations. Registration is required. For more information, contact: Chepkorir Maritim, HRSA Nurse Consultant at cmaritim@hrsa.gov.
CDC Updates COVID-19 Infection Control Guidelines
On May 6, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its COVID-19 infection control and prevention guidelines, which address several key issues, including universal masking and COVID-19 testing before nursing home admissions. The CDC guidelines state that facilities should use risk assessments and local metrics to drive masking policies. While county-level data on hospital admissions will remain available, the community transmission rate no longer will be calculated after the end of the public health emergency. The American Hospital Association published a Special Bulletin with additional details.
CBO Releases April Budget Review, Long-Term Health Care Spending Projections
The Congressional Budget Office released a budget review summary for April, as well as long-term health care spending projections reports. The CBO projects that major health care spending will increase from 6.6 percent in 2022 to 10.3 percent of gross domestic product in 2052. Much of the growth in spending is expected to come from an aging population. The CBO also published the April 2023 national expenditure report, which updated the fiscal year 2023 budget deficit to $928 billion.
CMS Adds dQM Resources to eCQI Resource Center
New to the eCQI Resource Center are details on digital quality measures. The new resource offers a centralized location for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' dQM Strategic Roadmap and related activities to advance digital quality measurement. CMS encourages users to explore the site and submit questions or feedback to ecqi-resource-center@hhs.gov.
CMS Proposes Rules to Strengthen Medicaid Access and Quality
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued two proposed rules to strengthen Medicaid access, oversight and quality. One rule addresses Medicaid access generally, and the other focuses on managed care access and quality specifically. Both the access rule and the managed care rule are published in the May 3 Federal Register. The 60-day comment period ends Monday, July 3.
Before You Go ...
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is hosting a webinar, FY 2024 IPF PPS Proposed Rule, at 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 16, for participants in the Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Quality Reporting Program. Registration is required.
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued the following updates to MLN Connects Provider eNews: