CINCINNATI – This week the CDC released preliminary data from 2019 which shows that there were 70,980 reported deaths from overdoses in 2019, surpassing the peak of 70,699 deaths in 2017. U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) released the following statement:
“The troubling CDC data ought to serve as a wake-up call for all of us. Every overdose death is devastating to the family and community affected and we cannot allow this spike to continue without action. We must redouble our efforts to combat the addiction crisis.
“For more than 25 years, one of my top priorities has been to combat the addiction crisis that’s hit communities in my home state of Ohio so hard. This resurgence of overdose deaths is particularly discouraging because in recent years we began to make progress, with a 22 percent reduction in Ohio overdose deaths in 2018. However, this new CDC data makes it clear that there’s still more work to be done.
“I am very concerned about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our efforts to combat addiction. The federal response to the coronavirus crisis has thus far focused on cutting red tape and regulatory relief to expand telehealth options for opioid treatment and an increase in alternate delivery methods for patients quarantined at home to maintain their access opioid treatment providers. These are positive steps and I have introduced bipartisan legislation called the Telehealth Response for E-Prescribing Addiction Services Treatment Act to make permanent a number of temporary waivers for telehealth services and bolster telehealth options for addiction treatment services. But we must do more. Congress must ensure our local communities and addiction providers have the resources they need to adapt to this new reality and I will continue to I will continue to help lead efforts in the U.S. Senate to combat this addiction crisis.”
NOTE: During the coronavirus pandemic, social distancing guidelines have disrupted traditional addiction treatment services and necessitated the use of telehealth services to help individuals with recovery.
That’s why Senator Portman has introduced legislation entitled the Telehealth Response for E-Prescribing Addiction Treatment Services (TREATS) Act to make permanent a number of temporary waivers for telehealth services and to bolster telehealth options for addiction treatment services.
Specifically, it will allow for a patient to be prescribed lower scheduled drugs like buprenorphine through telehealth on their first visit. Current law requires an in-person visit to receive any controlled substance, but this is a deterrent to patients in crisis and in urgent need of treatments from Schedule III or IV drugs.
The bill will also allow Medicare to bill for audio-only, or telephone, telehealth visits if it’s not a patient’s first visit. In-person visits or telehealth visits with video components are important, because they can allow for more robust checkups and evaluations, but due to distance or access to broadband, these types of appointments aren’t always possible.
