Discussion Draft of the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018

Summary: On April 10, 2018, PAEA submitted a letter to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions recommending the inclusion of certain provisions as part of the Senate’s Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018. The recommended provisions pertain to:

• The approval of permanent waiver eligibility for PAs to prescribe buprenorphine
• The preservation of funding dedicated to widening the scope of recovery options for patients with opioid use disorder
• The eligibility of PAs working in the behavioral and mental health space to receive federal incentives for practicing as substance use disorder treatment providers