Monday, February 8, 2021
Physicians, physician assistants, and advance practice nurses who have sought to treat opioid-addicted patients with Schedule III-V Controlled Substances that have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for that indication have had to apply for a waiver under the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000. Eligible medications are presently limited to buprenorphine-containing products such as Suboxone and Subutex.
[i] The waiver is oftentimes referred to as the “X-Waiver,” and permits the practitioner to provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT) to patients suffering from opioid use disorder (OUD). The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a division of United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), defines MAT as “the use of medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a ‘whole-patient’ approach to the treatment of substance use disorders.”