Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

As the death toll continues to rise from the fallout of the national battle against opioid addiction, the U.S. House of Representatives pushes for more regulation to combat the epidemic.

The House's Health Subcommittee advanced 57 bills forward to the larger Energy and Commerce Subcommittee for a vote with 56 of them devoted to fighting the opioid crisis, stated a House press release on the subject. "Many of these bills are a product of bipartisan effort and compromise," explained Subcommittee Chairman Michael C. Burgess, MD, (R-TX). "Taken together, the bills before us today will improve access to care for individuals suffering from substance use disorder, provide our health care system with tools and resources it needs to care for patients, and help prevent future misuse of opioids."

Some of the suggested legislation includes Medicare-specific additions. Highlights include:

• Assess pain during the "Welcome to Medicare" visit that includes non-opioid treatment recommen­dations.
• Design a substance abuse, treatment-centered Alternative Payment Model (APM).
• Encourage CMS to study the use of telehealth for opioid-addiction treatment.
• "Create a temporary pass through payment" to promote "non-opioid drugs for post-surgical pain management in Medicare."
• Beneficiary education and e-Prescribing requirements under Medicare Part D.
• Advise CMS to research abuse-deterrent drugs for Medicare plans.

Read the complete list of the proposed bills at https://energycommerce.house.gov/news/press-release/subhealth-votes-to-advance-57-bills-to-combat-the-opioid-crisis-reauthorization-of-adufa-and-agdufa/.