Bartolotta introducing bill that would broaden opioid addiction treatment
Patients suffering from opioid addiction would have a broader range of treatment options under legislation introduced by state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Carroll Township.
Bartolotta’s Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, Senate Bill 428, would mandate a comprehensive, patient-centered focus on the treatment of opioid addiction. The legislation would require treatment centers to follow best practices and offer a wider variety of services to meet the unique needs of each patient.
In current practice, treatment options vary widely among treatment centers based on the treatment setting. For example, a patient at a methadone clinic is far more likely to be placed on methadone, while that same patient might be treated with an abstinence-only approach in a different setting, regardless of the patient’s medical needs and circumstances.
Bartolotta’s legislation mandates training and experience requirements for prescribers of all FDA-approved medications for the treatment of opioid dependence, as well as the development of an abuse and diversion plan and best practice guidelines for treatment by providers.
The bill also requires initial and periodic behavioral health assessments for each patient and requires providers to obtain informed consent from a patient regarding all available treatment options.