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Tags Posts tagged with "Opioid Treatment Program"

Opioid Treatment Program

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The American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) is hosting a free webinar from 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm Wednesday, September 24, on states’ and treatment providers’ response to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s updated regulations governing opioid treatment programs (OTP). The updated regulations, in place since October 2024, are intended to increase accessibility to and flexibility within OTPs, including methadone treatment for opioid use disorder.

Registration for the webinar is required.

The webinar builds on the July 2025 presentation that provided guidance to OTPs on the updated regulations. Presenters will share how states and treatment providers are complying with the regulations and how patients have benefited through increased access, retention, and treatment flexibility.

The discussion will serve as a prelude to AATOD’s policy discussions at the upcoming national conference in Philadelphia, October 4 – 8, 2025.

The webinar will also be available on-demand via the AATOD website. Certificates of Attendance will be provided upon request. For questions, email AATOD.

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Close-up of Hands holding pens and making notes at the conference

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is hosting an in-person workshop “Implementing the Revised 42 CFR Part 8 Regulations in Opioid Treatment Programs,” from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm on Tuesday, August 12 at the Penn Harris Hotel in Camp Hill, PA. Register online by Friday, August 8.

This full-day, in-person workshop will review the revised federal regulations for opioid treatment programs (OTP) and provide practical guidance for implementation. Topics will include:

  • Overview of the 42 CFR Part 8 updates;
  • FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD);
  • Practitioner discretion in care delivery; and
  • Screening, admission, and assessment protocols.

Who should attend: Clinical, counseling, and administrative OTP staff

Continuing education: Eligible participants will receive a certificate for 8 CME/CEU credits (practitioners, nurses, social workers, and other healthcare providers).

If you have any questions, please send them electronically.

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Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

The 2025 American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) Conference will be held October 4 – 8 in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. The 2025 conference theme is “The Evolving Field of Opioid Treatment.”

AATOD is seeking opioid treatment program (OTP) providers, OTP patients, and friends of the field to serve as volunteers for the conference. Benefits of volunteering include discounted full conference rates or free individual days. More information about volunteering can be found on the AATOD Conference website.

The aim of the AATOD conference is to educate and promote acceptance and integration of medication-assisted treatment options by patients, families, clinicians, the medical system, judicial systems, government, policymakers, social service administrations, and the general public. Presenters will disseminate innovative, evidence-based initiatives and treatment techniques to better serve patients and providers, improve program development and administration, promote integration across the continuum of care, and enhance patient outcomes to assist communities in developing an effective response to this crisis.

The Pennsylvania Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (PATOD), the state chapter of AATOD, is a member of RCPA. Those interested in volunteering or with questions can email Pam Gehlmann, Regional Director for Pinnacle Treatment Centers, who is serving as Host Committee Chair.

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As RCPA previously communicated, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), jointly with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has extended the temporary COVID-19 telemedicine flexibilities through December 31, 2025. These flexibilities enable prescribing of controlled medications via telemedicine. As such, the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs’ (DDAP) suspension of 28 Pa. Code § 715.9(a)(4), which allows an initial evaluation for a person who will be treated by an opioid treatment program (OTP) with buprenorphine to be completed via telehealth, is also extended.

DDAP’s complete Information Bulletin 03-2024 is available here.

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On behalf of its opioid treatment program (OTP) provider members, RCPA submitted comments to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) in support of a final-omitted regulation that would allow an initial physical examination required for prescribing, administering, and dispensing controlled substances through an OTP to be conducted via telehealth under certain circumstances under Pa. 49 Code § 16.92.

This final-omitted regulation would enable the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) to grant a statewide exception to 28 Pa. Code § 715.9(a)(4), which today requires Pennsylvania OTPs (called narcotic treatment programs in DDAP regulations) to conduct a face-to-face determination of whether an individual is currently physiologically dependent on an opioid.

IRRC will consider the final-omitted regulation at a public meeting on December 5.

In its comments, RCPA wrote:

“Enabling OTPs to conduct the initial examination required as part of induction into methadone or buprenorphine treatment through telehealth significantly improves and expedites patient access to the gold standard treatment for OUD without sacrificing quality or safety. In a treatment environment where finding qualified physicians, physician assistants and certified registered nurse practitioners is challenging, telehealth bridges a significant gap. Physicians would no longer need to be physically on site at the OTP where treatment is to take place to examine a patient as part of the induction process. Rather, from anywhere in the commonwealth, a physician can examine more patients, who can then begin treatment with medication faster at a facility near their home. In fact, with this final-omitted regulation, OTPs will have the ability to accommodate same-day or walk-in admissions instead of scheduling intake appointments days later.”

The final-omitted regulation, submitted by the Department of State, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, State Board of Medicine, along with comments in support from the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs and RCPA, can be viewed on the IRRC website.

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