The COVID Project
The record
- Jurisdiction
- United States (federal); Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- Level
- Federal
- Authority
- 42 U.S.C. 257a, 290bb-2a; 21 U.S.C. 823(h); Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023
- Issued
- 2024-02-02 Feb. 2, 2024
- Effective
- 2024-04-02 (compliance date Oct. 2, 2024) (read as 2024-04-02)
- End
- In force (permanent)
- In force
- Apr. 2, 2024 (no end date recorded; counted as in force for 120 days)
- Limitation types
- Health care orders
- Addressees
- opioid treatment programs
- Functions reached
- CL clinical dosing
- TM telehealth
- Collection
- Other federal health agencies AGY-FED-HEALTH-OTHER
Operative words
To protect the public's health and reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection among patients and providers, SAMHSA issued flexibilities in the provision of take-home doses of methadone and initiation of buprenorphine via telehealth, including through audio-only platforms, that allowed for continued treatment of OUD with reduced direct patient contact. Each of these flexibilities represented a significant change to previous treatment standards.
Enforcement
42 C.F.R. part 8 certification
Notes
Post-period instrument saved for HHS's own characterization of the 2020 flexibilities as significant changes to treatment standards.