[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":1671,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"The Senate earlier this week passed opioid legislation that improves access to telehealth and medication-assisted treatment as well as the coordination of prescription drug monitoring programs.

The Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act, which was approved last week by the House, has been sent to President Trump for his signature.

\u201cI applaud Congress for its extraordinary bipartisan effort and steadfast commitment to mobilizing the largest legislative effort in history to address the opioid crisis,\u201d said Trump, who indicated that he is looking forward to signing the bill into law. \u201cThe SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6) makes important investments that will lift people out of addiction, help keep illicit drugs out of our communities, expand public awareness and prevention initiatives to stop addiction before it starts and save lives.\u201d

The House and Senate\u2019s passage of the legislation was praised by Health IT Now, a coalition of patient groups, provider organizations, employers and payers, which launched the Opioid Safety Alliance (OSA) in January\u2014along with IBM, Intermountain Healthcare, McKesson, Oracle and Walgreens\u2014to advance a health IT-centric policy agenda to combat the opioid epidemic.

\"We are grateful to lawmakers for including OSA-endorsed language in this bill to remove bureaucratic barriers to vital telehealth services for those suffering from addiction, modernize prescribing practices for controlled substances, incentivize the uptake of electronic health records and streamline prior authorization claims to improve efficiency while enhancing patient safety,\u201d said <\/i>HITN OSA Executive Director Joel White.

Likewise, the American Hospital Association said that the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act will provide hospitals with \u201cneeded tools and resources to better care for patients with substance use disorders (SUD) and to prevent further addiction.\u201d

However, the AHA also noted that the legislation does not include a provision for sharing patients\u2019 SUD treatment information.

\u201cWe are deeply disappointed that the agreement excludes a critical provision passed overwhelmingly by the House to allow the responsible sharing of patients\u2019 substance use disorder treatment information in accordance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations,\u201d said Tom Nickels, AHA\u2019s executive vice president. \u201cCurrent law (42 CFR Part 2) undermines the ability of providers to effectively coordinate care for patients with SUDs.\u201d

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives also said it was \u201cextremely disappointed\u201d that the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act did not include the language aligning 42 CFR Part 2 with HIPAA.

\u201cSo many of the other provisions of this important bill hinge on being able to share data as interoperability is key in thwarting this epidemic,\u201d said Russell Branzell, president and CEO of CHIME. \u201cAlignment was one obvious step that Congress can and should take. Our members believe that having access to the data that would be possible if 42 CFR Part 2 and HIPAA were aligned would save lives.\u201d

Also See<\/b>: Commission calls for integrated data environment to combat opioid crisis<\/a>

More than 40 years ago, Congress passed 42 CFR Part 2 because of concerns about the potentially negative consequences\u2014including discrimination\u2014that could come from disclosing the patient records of individuals with substance use disorders.

However, a 2017 report from the President\u2019s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis criticized the law for being a hindrance to comprehensive healthcare and called it misguided for preventing doctors from knowing their patients\u2019 addiction treatment histories.

\u201cWe remain committed to the passage of legislation that eliminates the statutory barriers to optimal care for our patients,\u201d added AHA\u2019s Nickels.","saveContent":"The Senate earlier this week passed opioid legislation that improves access to telehealth and medication-assisted treatment as well as the coordination of prescription drug monitoring programs.

The Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act, which was approved last week by the House, has been sent to President Trump for his signature.

\u201cI applaud Congress for its extraordinary bipartisan effort and steadfast commitment to mobilizing the largest legislative effort in history to address the opioid crisis,\u201d said Trump, who indicated that he is looking forward to signing the bill into law. \u201cThe SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6) makes important investments that will lift people out of addiction, help keep illicit drugs out of our communities, expand public awareness and prevention initiatives to stop addiction before it starts and save lives.\u201d

The House and Senate\u2019s passage of the legislation was praised by Health IT Now, a coalition of patient groups, provider organizations, employers and payers, which launched the Opioid Safety Alliance (OSA) in January\u2014along with IBM, Intermountain Healthcare, McKesson, Oracle and Walgreens\u2014to advance a health IT-centric policy agenda to combat the opioid epidemic.

\"We are grateful to lawmakers for including OSA-endorsed language in this bill to remove bureaucratic barriers to vital telehealth services for those suffering from addiction, modernize prescribing practices for controlled substances, incentivize the uptake of electronic health records and streamline prior authorization claims to improve efficiency while enhancing patient safety,\u201d said <\/i>HITN OSA Executive Director Joel White.

Likewise, the American Hospital Association said that the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act will provide hospitals with \u201cneeded tools and resources to better care for patients with substance use disorders (SUD) and to prevent further addiction.\u201d

However, the AHA also noted that the legislation does not include a provision for sharing patients\u2019 SUD treatment information.

\u201cWe are deeply disappointed that the agreement excludes a critical provision passed overwhelmingly by the House to allow the responsible sharing of patients\u2019 substance use disorder treatment information in accordance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations,\u201d said Tom Nickels, AHA\u2019s executive vice president. \u201cCurrent law (42 CFR Part 2) undermines the ability of providers to effectively coordinate care for patients with SUDs.\u201d

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives also said it was \u201cextremely disappointed\u201d that the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act did not include the language aligning 42 CFR Part 2 with HIPAA.

\u201cSo many of the other provisions of this important bill hinge on being able to share data as interoperability is key in thwarting this epidemic,\u201d said Russell Branzell, president and CEO of CHIME. \u201cAlignment was one obvious step that Congress can and should take. Our members believe that having access to the data that would be possible if 42 CFR Part 2 and HIPAA were aligned would save lives.\u201d

Also See<\/b>: Commission calls for integrated data environment to combat opioid crisis<\/a>

More than 40 years ago, Congress passed 42 CFR Part 2 because of concerns about the potentially negative consequences\u2014including discrimination\u2014that could come from disclosing the patient records of individuals with substance use disorders.

However, a 2017 report from the President\u2019s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis criticized the law for being a hindrance to comprehensive healthcare and called it misguided for preventing doctors from knowing their patients\u2019 addiction treatment histories.

\u201cWe remain committed to the passage of legislation that eliminates the statutory barriers to optimal care for our patients,\u201d added AHA\u2019s Nickels.","order":0,"get_parent":{},"attributes":[],"attributesType":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"dynamicContent":""}]

Opioid bill passed by House, Senate gets mixed reviews

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