The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has provided further guidance on the expanded use of telemedicine for medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) services during the COVID-19 national emergency.
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will exercise enforcement discretion and will waive potential penalties for HIPAA violations against health care providers that serve patients through everyday communications technologies during the COVID-19 emergency.
Guidance on how medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) services must take immediate action to care for OUD patients while also slowing COVID-19 spread by implementing social distancing into all aspects of care.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides guidance on pharmacotherapy for opioid use disorder availability in circumstances in which patients may be exposed to highly contagious infectious agents (such as COVID-19).
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has granted narcotic treatment programs (NTPs) an exception to 21 CFR 1301.74(i) in order to provide consistent dosing to patients enrolled.
Nora Volkow, M.D., Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), highlights the added risks that populations with substance use disorder face during the COVID-19 pandemic.