AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ADDICTION MEDICINE

Advocated for increased FY27 funding for HRSA's Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program ($30M) Advocated for increased FY27 funding for HRSA's Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program ($50M). Advocated for introduction of Residential Recovery for Seniors Act (H.R.9538). This first-of-its-kind legislation would create a Medicare Part A benefit for residential addiction treatment programs meeting nationally recognized standards, categorized as Level 3.1: Clinically Managed Low-intensity Residential Treatment; Level 3.5: Clinically Managed High-intensity Residential Treatment, and/or Level 3.7: Medically Managed Residential Treatment. It would also establish a prospective payment system for these programs. Advocated for S. 4941 / H.R. 9790 - the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0, which would allow specially registered addiction specialist physicians to prescribe methadone for OUD that could be accessed at pharmacies. Sent a public RFI response to HHS, calling for alignment of federal programs around evidence-based prevention, risk reduction, treatment engagement and retention, recovery support, and continuous quality improvement and encouraging a focus on federal policies that prioritize interventions supported by rigorous evidence; reduce administrative barriers that disrupt patient care; expand access through telehealth and team-based models; and modernize data systems to support continued learning Sent a public comment letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in response to its proposed rule that would significantly alter Uniform Guidance governing federal grants, many of which are used to fund scientific research. Joined coalition letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding its issuance of a proposed rule that would set caps on Medicaid Managed Care State Directed Payments and Medicaid Fee-for-Service Targeted Practitioner Payments. The letter urges the agency not to finalize the proposed rule, which risks negatively impacting clinicians providing substance use disorder treatment and the ability for patients to access care. Submitted comment letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the agency's Interim Final Rule (IFR) implementing Medicaid community engagement/work reporting requirements. While ASAM emphasized that meaningful community engagement, including employment, can be an important component of recovery, participating in those activities is fundamentally different from complying with ongoing administrative reporting and verification requirements that could undermine recovery by creating barriers to maintaining Medicaid coverage and access to treatment. Submitted public comment letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the proposed temporary scheduling of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), recognizing concerns about the risks associated with concentrated 7-OH products, including dependence, withdrawal, inconsistent product composition, and limited regulatory oversight. ASAM highlighted that the current scientific evidence is insufficient to support any specific concentration or quantity threshold as a validated indicator of an imminent public safety risk. Submitted public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the agency's Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule. Highlighted the growing volume and complexity of alcohol and drug-related hospital encounters and pointed to the Society's Implementation Guide for Hospital and Emergency Department Substance Use Disorder Care as a roadmap for strengthening addiction treatment in hospital and emergency department settings. Sent public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed its CY 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), urging CMS to support access to addiction treatment by delaying proposed practice expense changes, increasing payment for key prevention and treatment services, expanding telehealth flexibilities for intensive outpatient services, opposing payment cuts for certain evaluation and management services, updating policies related to extended-release buprenorphine, and developing future payment models that better recognize medically managed outpatient addiction care.

Advocated for increased FY27 funding for HRSA's Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program ($30M) Advocated for increased FY27 funding for HRSA's Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program ($50M). Advocated for introduction of Residential Recovery for Seniors Act (H.R.9538). This first-of-its-kind legislation would create a Medicare Part A benefit for residential addiction treatment programs meeting nationally recognized standards, categorized as Level 3.1: Clinically Managed Low-intensity Residential Treatment; Level 3.5: Clinically Managed High-intensity Residential Treatment, and/or Level 3.7: Medically Managed Residential Treatment. It would also establish a prospective payment system for these programs. Advocated for S. 4941 / H.R. 9790 - the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0, which would allow specially registered addiction specialist physicians to prescribe methadone for OUD that could be accessed at pharmacies. Sent a public RFI response to HHS, calling for alignment of federal programs around evidence-based prevention, risk reduction, treatment engagement and retention, recovery support, and continuous quality improvement and encouraging a focus on federal policies that prioritize interventions supported by rigorous evidence; reduce administrative barriers that disrupt patient care; expand access through telehealth and team-based models; and modernize data systems to support continued learning Sent a public comment letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in response to its proposed rule that would significantly alter Uniform Guidance governing federal grants, many of which are used to fund scientific research. Joined coalition letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding its issuance of a proposed rule that would set caps on Medicaid Managed Care State Directed Payments and Medicaid Fee-for-Service Targeted Practitioner Payments. The letter urges the agency not to finalize the proposed rule, which risks negatively impacting clinicians providing substance use disorder treatment and the ability for patients to access care. Submitted comment letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the agency's Interim Final Rule (IFR) implementing Medicaid community engagement/work reporting requirements. While ASAM emphasized that meaningful community engagement, including employment, can be an important component of recovery, participating in those activities is fundamentally different from complying with ongoing administrative reporting and verification requirements that could undermine recovery by creating barriers to maintaining Medicaid coverage and access to treatment. Submitted public comment letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the proposed temporary scheduling of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), recognizing concerns about the risks associated with concentrated 7-OH products, including dependence, withdrawal, inconsistent product composition, and limited regulatory oversight. ASAM highlighted that the current scientific evidence is insufficient to support any specific concentration or quantity threshold as a validated indicator of an imminent public safety risk. Submitted public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the agency's Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule. Highlighted the growing volume and complexity of alcohol and drug-related hospital encounters and pointed to the Society's Implementation Guide for Hospital and Emergency Department Substance Use Disorder Care as a roadmap for strengthening addiction treatment in hospital and emergency department settings. Sent public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed its CY 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), urging CMS to support access to addiction treatment by delaying proposed practice expense changes, increasing payment for key prevention and treatment services, expanding telehealth flexibilities for intensive outpatient services, opposing payment cuts for certain evaluation and management services, updating policies related to extended-release buprenorphine, and developing future payment models that better recognize medically managed outpatient addiction care.

Advocated for increased FY27 funding for HRSA's Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program ($30M) Advocated for increased FY27 funding for HRSA's Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program ($50M). Advocated for introduction of Residential Recovery for Seniors Act (H.R.9538). This first-of-its-kind legislation would create a Medicare Part A benefit for residential addiction treatment programs meeting nationally recognized standards, categorized as Level 3.1: Clinically Managed Low-intensity Residential Treatment; Level 3.5: Clinically Managed High-intensity Residential Treatment, and/or Level 3.7: Medically Managed Residential Treatment. It would also establish a prospective payment system for these programs. Advocated for S. 4941 / H.R. 9790 - the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0, which would allow specially registered addiction specialist physicians to prescribe methadone for OUD that could be accessed at pharmacies. Sent a public RFI response to HHS, calling for alignment of federal programs around evidence-based prevention, risk reduction, treatment engagement and retention, recovery support, and continuous quality improvement and encouraging a focus on federal policies that prioritize interventions supported by rigorous evidence; reduce administrative barriers that disrupt patient care; expand access through telehealth and team-based models; and modernize data systems to support continued learning Sent a public comment letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in response to its proposed rule that would significantly alter Uniform Guidance governing federal grants, many of which are used to fund scientific research. Joined coalition letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding its issuance of a proposed rule that would set caps on Medicaid Managed Care State Directed Payments and Medicaid Fee-for-Service Targeted Practitioner Payments. The letter urges the agency not to finalize the proposed rule, which risks negatively impacting clinicians providing substance use disorder treatment and the ability for patients to access care. Submitted comment letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the agency's Interim Final Rule (IFR) implementing Medicaid community engagement/work reporting requirements. While ASAM emphasized that meaningful community engagement, including employment, can be an important component of recovery, participating in those activities is fundamentally different from complying with ongoing administrative reporting and verification requirements that could undermine recovery by creating barriers to maintaining Medicaid coverage and access to treatment. Submitted public comment letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the proposed temporary scheduling of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), recognizing concerns about the risks associated with concentrated 7-OH products, including dependence, withdrawal, inconsistent product composition, and limited regulatory oversight. ASAM highlighted that the current scientific evidence is insufficient to support any specific concentration or quantity threshold as a validated indicator of an imminent public safety risk. Submitted public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the agency's Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule. Highlighted the growing volume and complexity of alcohol and drug-related hospital encounters and pointed to the Society's Implementation Guide for Hospital and Emergency Department Substance Use Disorder Care as a roadmap for strengthening addiction treatment in hospital and emergency department settings. Sent public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed its CY 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), urging CMS to support access to addiction treatment by delaying proposed practice expense changes, increasing payment for key prevention and treatment services, expanding telehealth flexibilities for intensive outpatient services, opposing payment cuts for certain evaluation and management services, updating policies related to extended-release buprenorphine, and developing future payment models that better recognize medically managed outpatient addiction care.

Advocated for increased FY27 funding for HRSA's Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program ($30M) Advocated for increased FY27 funding for HRSA's Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program ($50M). Advocated for introduction of Residential Recovery for Seniors Act (H.R.9538). This first-of-its-kind legislation would create a Medicare Part A benefit for residential addiction treatment programs meeting nationally recognized standards, categorized as Level 3.1: Clinically Managed Low-intensity Residential Treatment; Level 3.5: Clinically Managed High-intensity Residential Treatment, and/or Level 3.7: Medically Managed Residential Treatment. It would also establish a prospective payment system for these programs. Advocated for S. 4941 / H.R. 9790 - the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0, which would allow specially registered addiction specialist physicians to prescribe methadone for OUD that could be accessed at pharmacies. Sent a public RFI response to HHS, calling for alignment of federal programs around evidence-based prevention, risk reduction, treatment engagement and retention, recovery support, and continuous quality improvement and encouraging a focus on federal policies that prioritize interventions supported by rigorous evidence; reduce administrative barriers that disrupt patient care; expand access through telehealth and team-based models; and modernize data systems to support continued learning Sent a public comment letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in response to its proposed rule that would significantly alter Uniform Guidance governing federal grants, many of which are used to fund scientific research. Joined coalition letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding its issuance of a proposed rule that would set caps on Medicaid Managed Care State Directed Payments and Medicaid Fee-for-Service Targeted Practitioner Payments. The letter urges the agency not to finalize the proposed rule, which risks negatively impacting clinicians providing substance use disorder treatment and the ability for patients to access care. Submitted comment letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the agency's Interim Final Rule (IFR) implementing Medicaid community engagement/work reporting requirements. While ASAM emphasized that meaningful community engagement, including employment, can be an important component of recovery, participating in those activities is fundamentally different from complying with ongoing administrative reporting and verification requirements that could undermine recovery by creating barriers to maintaining Medicaid coverage and access to treatment. Submitted public comment letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the proposed temporary scheduling of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), recognizing concerns about the risks associated with concentrated 7-OH products, including dependence, withdrawal, inconsistent product composition, and limited regulatory oversight. ASAM highlighted that the current scientific evidence is insufficient to support any specific concentration or quantity threshold as a validated indicator of an imminent public safety risk. Submitted public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the agency's Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule. Highlighted the growing volume and complexity of alcohol and drug-related hospital encounters and pointed to the Society's Implementation Guide for Hospital and Emergency Department Substance Use Disorder Care as a roadmap for strengthening addiction treatment in hospital and emergency department settings. Sent public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed its CY 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), urging CMS to support access to addiction treatment by delaying proposed practice expense changes, increasing payment for key prevention and treatment services, expanding telehealth flexibilities for intensive outpatient services, opposing payment cuts for certain evaluation and management services, updating policies related to extended-release buprenorphine, and developing future payment models that better recognize medically managed outpatient addiction care.

Advocated for increased FY27 funding for HRSA's Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program ($30M) Advocated for increased FY27 funding for HRSA's Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program ($50M). Advocated for introduction of Residential Recovery for Seniors Act (H.R.9538). This first-of-its-kind legislation would create a Medicare Part A benefit for residential addiction treatment programs meeting nationally recognized standards, categorized as Level 3.1: Clinically Managed Low-intensity Residential Treatment; Level 3.5: Clinically Managed High-intensity Residential Treatment, and/or Level 3.7: Medically Managed Residential Treatment. It would also establish a prospective payment system for these programs. Advocated for S. 4941 / H.R. 9790 - the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0, which would allow specially registered addiction specialist physicians to prescribe methadone for OUD that could be accessed at pharmacies. Sent a public RFI response to HHS, calling for alignment of federal programs around evidence-based prevention, risk reduction, treatment engagement and retention, recovery support, and continuous quality improvement and encouraging a focus on federal policies that prioritize interventions supported by rigorous evidence; reduce administrative barriers that disrupt patient care; expand access through telehealth and team-based models; and modernize data systems to support continued learning Sent a public comment letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in response to its proposed rule that would significantly alter Uniform Guidance governing federal grants, many of which are used to fund scientific research. Joined coalition letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding its issuance of a proposed rule that would set caps on Medicaid Managed Care State Directed Payments and Medicaid Fee-for-Service Targeted Practitioner Payments. The letter urges the agency not to finalize the proposed rule, which risks negatively impacting clinicians providing substance use disorder treatment and the ability for patients to access care. Submitted comment letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the agency's Interim Final Rule (IFR) implementing Medicaid community engagement/work reporting requirements. While ASAM emphasized that meaningful community engagement, including employment, can be an important component of recovery, participating in those activities is fundamentally different from complying with ongoing administrative reporting and verification requirements that could undermine recovery by creating barriers to maintaining Medicaid coverage and access to treatment. Submitted public comment letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the proposed temporary scheduling of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), recognizing concerns about the risks associated with concentrated 7-OH products, including dependence, withdrawal, inconsistent product composition, and limited regulatory oversight. ASAM highlighted that the current scientific evidence is insufficient to support any specific concentration or quantity threshold as a validated indicator of an imminent public safety risk. Submitted public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the agency's Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule. Highlighted the growing volume and complexity of alcohol and drug-related hospital encounters and pointed to the Society's Implementation Guide for Hospital and Emergency Department Substance Use Disorder Care as a roadmap for strengthening addiction treatment in hospital and emergency department settings. Sent public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed its CY 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), urging CMS to support access to addiction treatment by delaying proposed practice expense changes, increasing payment for key prevention and treatment services, expanding telehealth flexibilities for intensive outpatient services, opposing payment cuts for certain evaluation and management services, updating policies related to extended-release buprenorphine, and developing future payment models that better recognize medically managed outpatient addiction care.

Advocated for increased FY27 funding for HRSA's Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program ($30M) Advocated for increased FY27 funding for HRSA's Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program ($50M). Advocated for introduction of Residential Recovery for Seniors Act (H.R.9538). This first-of-its-kind legislation would create a Medicare Part A benefit for residential addiction treatment programs meeting nationally recognized standards, categorized as Level 3.1: Clinically Managed Low-intensity Residential Treatment; Level 3.5: Clinically Managed High-intensity Residential Treatment, and/or Level 3.7: Medically Managed Residential Treatment. It would also establish a prospective payment system for these programs. Advocated for S. 4941 / H.R. 9790 - the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0, which would allow specially registered addiction specialist physicians to prescribe methadone for OUD that could be accessed at pharmacies. Sent a public RFI response to HHS, calling for alignment of federal programs around evidence-based prevention, risk reduction, treatment engagement and retention, recovery support, and continuous quality improvement and encouraging a focus on federal policies that prioritize interventions supported by rigorous evidence; reduce administrative barriers that disrupt patient care; expand access through telehealth and team-based models; and modernize data systems to support continued learning Sent a public comment letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in response to its proposed rule that would significantly alter Uniform Guidance governing federal grants, many of which are used to fund scientific research. Joined coalition letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding its issuance of a proposed rule that would set caps on Medicaid Managed Care State Directed Payments and Medicaid Fee-for-Service Targeted Practitioner Payments. The letter urges the agency not to finalize the proposed rule, which risks negatively impacting clinicians providing substance use disorder treatment and the ability for patients to access care. Submitted comment letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the agency's Interim Final Rule (IFR) implementing Medicaid community engagement/work reporting requirements. While ASAM emphasized that meaningful community engagement, including employment, can be an important component of recovery, participating in those activities is fundamentally different from complying with ongoing administrative reporting and verification requirements that could undermine recovery by creating barriers to maintaining Medicaid coverage and access to treatment. Submitted public comment letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the proposed temporary scheduling of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), recognizing concerns about the risks associated with concentrated 7-OH products, including dependence, withdrawal, inconsistent product composition, and limited regulatory oversight. ASAM highlighted that the current scientific evidence is insufficient to support any specific concentration or quantity threshold as a validated indicator of an imminent public safety risk. Submitted public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the agency's Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule. Highlighted the growing volume and complexity of alcohol and drug-related hospital encounters and pointed to the Society's Implementation Guide for Hospital and Emergency Department Substance Use Disorder Care as a roadmap for strengthening addiction treatment in hospital and emergency department settings. Sent public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed its CY 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), urging CMS to support access to addiction treatment by delaying proposed practice expense changes, increasing payment for key prevention and treatment services, expanding telehealth flexibilities for intensive outpatient services, opposing payment cuts for certain evaluation and management services, updating policies related to extended-release buprenorphine, and developing future payment models that better recognize medically managed outpatient addiction care.