With over 42,000 opioid induced overdose deaths in 2016 and overdose deaths rising 21.5% from the year before, the opioid epidemic has gripped the nation with many Americans suffering. Since the President declared the opioid crisis a national Public Health Emergency in October of 2017, the federal agencies and Congress have been busy working on solutions to help bend the curve of opioid addiction. In October of 2018, following months of hearings and the introduction of dozens of bills, Congress passed the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6) which authorizes new techniques and programs to end the crisis, many of which involve healthcare IT. Please join the CHIME Public Policy Team as we dive into the comprehensive legislation and offer an overview of those sections of most interest to our members. Topics covered will include patient consent policies, telemedicine, prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) and ePrescribing, among others.
Mari Savickis, VP, Federal Affairs at CHIME
Leslie Krigstein, VP, Congressional Affairs at CHIME