SHM Supports the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act
May 23, 2019
SHM's Policy Efforts
SHM supports legislation that affects hospital medicine and general healthcare, advocating for hospitalists and the patients they serve.
The Honorable Paul Tonko
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Antonio Delgado
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Ben Ray Luján
Assistant Speaker
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Ted Budd
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Elise Stefanik
U.S House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Mike Turner
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representatives, Tonko, Delgado, Budd, Stefanik, Turner, and Assistant Speaker Luján:
The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) is pleased to offer its support for the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act (H.R. 2482). This legislation will help ensure opioid addiction and treatment receive the same efforts medical practitioners direct towards all other public health emergencies, including complete access to beneficial and safe treatments.
SHM represents the nation’s hospitalists, who are front-line clinicians in America’s acute care hospitals. Hospitalists focus on the general medical care of hospitalized patients, and manage the inpatient clinical care of their patients, while working to enhance the performance of their hospitals and health systems. In this role, hospitalists often find themselves on the front lines of the opioid crisis and H.R. 2482 will provide them with an additional valuable tool in helping to combat it.
Buprenorphine is currently a Schedule III controlled substance but has restrictions placed upon its use for this indication. We believe these unnecessary obstacles preclude the recruitment of a more robust prescriber base, inhibit widespread provider adoption, and propagate the stigma of treating this population of patients.
Despite restrictions, buprenorphine is a beneficial, safe, and life-saving therapy medical practitioners require to meet the exigency of the opiate crisis. The Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act would remove barriers to the use of buprenorphine for treating opioid use disorder and we appreciate your efforts on this important issue. SHM stands ready to work with you on its passage.
Sincerely,
Christopher Frost, MD, SFHM
President, Society of Hospital Medicine