The FDA has responded to Dr. Albanese’s letter to them from April 19, 2021.

CLICK HERE to view the response!

Conference Dates: August 25 – September 3, 2021

Board Exam Preparation Track: The Faculty of experienced educators will cover 16 key topic areas, with sample exam questions and rationale provided for answers. Test-taking and study tips will be covered. Attendees will have access to review these recorded sessions through November. Access to the High Yield Question Bank is included.

Addiction Medicine Review Course: The 2021 all-virtual CSAM conference continues the biannual tradition of reviewing the essentials of addiction treatment while incorporating current evidence-based practices in this everchanging field. The planning committee has selected engaging, dynamic speakers.

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FDA NEWS RELEASE:
April 29, 2021

FDA Commits to Evidence-Based Actions Aimed at Saving Lives and Preventing Future Generations of Smokers

Efforts to ban menthol cigarettes, ban flavored cigars build on previous flavor ban and mark significant steps to reduce addiction and youth experimentation, improve quitting, and address health disparities

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it is committing to advancing two tobacco product standards to significantly reduce disease and death from using combusted tobacco products, the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. The FDA is working toward issuing proposed…

Read the Full Article…

The Newest Issue of the CSAM Newsletter is available. If you haven’t seen it yet, CLICK HERE to read it!

This issue features the President’s message by CSAM President, Anthony Albanese; 2020 Public Policy Report; and Updates from the Education Committee!

Chicago, IL, November 30, 2020: The American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) and the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) jointly announced today the American Board of Medical Specialties’ (ABMS) approval of a four-year extension of the practice…

Click Here to Read the entire article.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued an Interim Final Rule to clarify sections of the 2018 SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. The provisions in the Rule seek to further expand providers’ abilities to prescribe medication assisted treatment (MAT) to individuals suffering from opioid use disorders.

Key items addressed in the Rule include:

1. Providers can prescribe MAT for up to 100 patients immediately, if the provider holds credentialing in addiction medicine or provides MAT using covered medications in a qualified practice setting. This updates prior rules which mandated a waivered provider could only treat up to 30 patients in their first year of the waiver before applying to treat up to 100 patients.
2. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants had previously been granted the ability to be waivered to prescribe MAT on a temporary basis. The Interim Final Rule made this provision permanent.
3. The definition of a “qualifying provider” eligible to prescribe MAT was expanded to include clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and certified nurse midwives. These providers are eligible to prescribe MAT on a temporary basis, through October 1, 2023. Waivered providers are eligible to treat up to 30 patients.
4. A physician is eligible to receive a waiver to prescribe MAT if the physician recently graduated from a medical school that included at least 8 hours of training on treating and managing opioid-dependent patients.This shifts new waivers from post-residency continuing medical education to medical school or residency training.
5. Pharmacies can permanently provide medications for maintenance or detoxification treatment to providers’ registered locations for use in treatment. Pharmacies previously were only allowed to deliver medications to the ultimate user or research subject.

Please send feedback on the Interim Final Rule to Chris Regal (cregal@ahip.org) by December 3. We will circulate draft comments prior to the December 10 Opioid Addiction Prevention and Treatment Work Group meeting. 

We look forward to your feedback. Please be in touch with questions. Thank you.

Article provided by AHIP.

Click Here to read the Press Release.

Winter 2019 CSAM Newsletter

• An Interview with CSAM’s New President Dr. Anthony Albanese – Pgs. 1-2; 7
• Low Barrier Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder: A Feasible Strategy to Save Lives and Livelihoods – Pgs. 3; 11
• CSAM Addiction Medicine Review Course and Board Exam Preparation Track 2019 – Pgs. 4-5
• Timmen Cermak, MD Receives Vernelle Fox Award – Pg. 6
• CSAM’s Membership Now Tops 700! – Pg. 6
• CSAM Community Service Award Goes to David Lisonbee, CEO of Twin Town Treatment Centers – Pg. 7
• MERF Provides 54 Scholarships to 2019 Addiction Medicine Review Course in Anaheim – Pgs. 8-9
• Highlights of the CSAM Leadership Development Retreat at Asilomar – Pgs. 10-11
• CSAM Board of Directors Election Results Announced – Pg. 12
• CSAM Executive Director to Retire in 2020 – Pg. 13
• Newly Released: Guidelines for Physicians Working in California Opioid Treatment Programs – Pg. 13
• Welcome New CSAM Members! – Pg. 14
• CSAM Opposes Changes to Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records (42 CFR Part 2) – Pg. 15
• CSAM’s Addiction Medicine Review Course is Now Available Online! – Pg. 15
• State of the Art in Addiction Medicine Conference | August 26-29, 2020 – Pg. 16

This past week Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB-919 (Petrie-Norris) which promises to crack down on financial conflicts-of-interest among rehab operators by limiting how they offer housing and transportation as inducements to treatment. It will require that laboratories that test blood or urine for drugs, or outpatient treatment programs that offer housing to clients, have separate housing contracts specifically stating that payment for housing is the patient’s responsibility and rent should not be indirectly billed to health insurance. The practice has become common in the industry. It also empowers the CA Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to provide enforcement with seven new positions, costing $1.2 million the first year and $1.1 million after that.

The Governor also signed AB-290 (Wood) which attempts to prevent third party payer tactics designed to steer patients into more expensive insurance plans for dialysis and substance use disorder treatment. Basically, it reduces the financial incentive to lure people to California by promising “free” insurance coverage.

SB-445 (Portantino) was vetoed by Governor Newsom with this message:  “To the Members of the California State Senate: I am returning Senate Bill 445 without my signature. SB 445 would require the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to establish youth substance use disorder treatment quality standards including certification requirements for programs and professionals, and convene a workgroup to advise the Department on quality standards. Although I support the author’s intent to strengthen substance use disorder treatment services for youth, implementation of this bill requires significant General Fund spending that should be considered through the annual budget process. I encourage the author and stakeholders to engage with DHCS’s recently-formed Behavioral Health Stakeholder Advisory Committee to address concerns regarding youth substance use disorder treatment services. Sincerely, Gavin Newsom”

AB-920 (Petrie-Norris) was also vetoed: “To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 920 without my signature. This bill would eliminate an existing voluntary outpatient certification program. Beginning January 1, 2021, it would attempt to require an outpatient substance use disorder (SUD) recovery or treatment services facility which is not licensed under existing law, to obtain licensure from the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to provide SUD services. The bill attempts to do this by replacing references to program certification in existing Health and Safety Code references to program licensure. I am supportive of the Legislature’s intent to license all SUD recovery and treatment services. However, developing a new licensing schema is a significant undertaking, and would require a significant departure from the bill as enrolled. This bill would need to be revised to provide adequate statutory authority for DHCS to effectively monitor and ensure compliance with outpatient licensure requirements. In addition, establishing the associated administrative oversight is not without significant cost. After reviewing this bill, it is clear that a substantial amount of work is still needed to develop a program that my administration can implement. As such, I recommend the Legislature and sponsors of this bill work closely with DHCS on a more robust proposal for my consideration. Costs for implementation of such a bill would need to be considered in the budget process. Sincerely, Gavin Newsom”