BALTIMORE, MD (July 6, 2016)–Today, Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen issued the following statement in response to several new actions announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to combat the nation’s opioid epidemic, including issuing a Buprenorphine Final Rule that allows practitioners who have had a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine for up to 100 patients for a year or more, to now obtain a waiver to treat up to 275 patients:

“The expansion of the buprenorphine cap is an important step toward improving access to medication-assisted treatment, and I commend HHS for making a decision based on science, not stigma.

“At a time when we're facing a national health emergency, we need to do everything we can to lift the barriers to addiction treatment.

“Taking medication for opioid addiction is like taking medication to control heart disease or diabetes. When prescribed properly, medication does not create a new addiction, but rather manages a patient’s disease so that they can successfully achieve recovery.

“In my testimony in March to the House Oversight Committee, I expressed support for efforts to eliminate the limits on buprenorphine prescription, and asked Congress to consider broadening prescription authority of buprenorphine to Nurse Practitioners and other providers. There are no caps for any other medication, and no cap on the number of patients to whom a doctor can prescribe opioids. It therefore makes no sense to set a maximum for buprenorphine, which significantly limits patients’ access to a life-saving treatment option.

“I applaud other efforts included in this announcement that encourage judicious prescribing, such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposal to change the HCAHPS survey pain management questions and to increase the use of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs, known as PDMPs.

“I commend the actions taken by the Secretary Burwell today. I now call on Congress to provide adequate funding for effective, evidence-based interventions. We on the frontlines know what works. Baltimore City is a national model for addiction treatment and recovery. We need full funding for these life-saving programs.

“By continuing to work collectively across all levels of government, we can combat the disease of addiction in our communities.”