Pew Calls for Regulatory Changes to Improve Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

Expanded telehealth, support of medication-only approaches, and better screening could enhance outcomes

Pew Calls for Regulatory Changes to Improve Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

The Pew Charitable Trusts sent comments on Feb. 10 to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in response to proposed regulations seeking to improve care at opioid treatment programs (OTPs), the only health care facilities able to offer all three forms of medication for opioid use disorder.

Pew’s comments focus on allowing OTPs to support medication-only approaches, designating jails and prisons as health care facilities that can dispense methadone, expanding telehealth flexibilities, and screening individuals beginning treatment at OTPs for imminent risk of harm to themselves and referring them to appropriate care, among other recommendations.   

America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics

Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.

Quick View

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.