Major Change in Addiction Medicine Policy Announced

On January 14, the Trump Administration announced a change in prescribing requirements for addiction treatment. The change will allow for almost all physicians to prescribe the addiction drug buprenorphine without obtaining a government waiver. In the past, physicians were required to undergo an eight-hour training to receive an X-waiver before they were allowed to prescribe buprenorphine. The change in policy is in response to the rising level of drug overdoses in recent years, including the increasing numbers seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. This new policy will allow for any physician with a DEA prescriber license to treat up to 30 in-state patients with buprenorphine, and hospital-based physicians are exempt from the 30-patient limit. Physicians will still be allowed to treat up to 275 patients if they undergo the training and receive the X-waiver. Additionally, the new policy change does not impact nurse practitioners or physician assistants. These providers will still need to apply for separate waivers to earn prescribing privileges.

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