H.R. 6 and Opioid Crisis Response

Co-Founder and Managing Partner Harry Nelson is a top legal expert on opioid crisis response. The American Health Lawyers Association published Harry’s comprehensive look at the SUPPORT (Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment) for Patients and Communities Act, H.R. 6. 

The SUPPORT Legislation

The SUPPORT legislation, signed into law on October 24, 2018, was written as a follow-up to the 2016 opioid crisis-focused legislation, CARA (Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act). The article, “H.R. 6 and Opioid Crisis Response” provides key takeaways of what hospitals and health systems need to know regarding the opportunities and challenges these new laws pose. A few of these key points include, Jessie’s Law, expanded access to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), and increased screening for OUDs.

The United States of Opioids

As a leading healthcare law authority, Forbes recently published Harry’s latest book, The United States of Opioids: A Prescription for Liberating a Nation in Pain, which offers a more in-depth look at the making of the opioid crisis and key steps on a solution for a way out.

From the article:

Like CARA, the SUPPORT Act takes sweeping aim at the opioid crisis,
focusing on numerous aspects of opioid prevention, treatment, and recovery, including expansion of opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment access and capacity in residential and inpatient care, medication assisted treatment (MAT), and via telehealth and improving medical education and training resources for health care providers to better address addiction, pain, and the opioid crisis.

The takeaways for hospitals and health systems from H.R. 6 include both
important specific requirements and strategic trends in addressing opioid-related activities. Hospitals and health systems should pay particular attention to new regulatory and reimbursement requirements, as well as the evolution in best practices reflected in the SUPPORT Act. This article highlights ten significant directives within H.R. 6 that reflect the emerging consensus on best practices to combat the opioid crisis.

Read the full article