Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center

Laramie, WY

September 15-16, 2023

New requirements and rules surrounding Buprenorphine prescribing go Into effect

As announced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in January 2023, clinicians no longer need a federal waiver to prescribe buprenorphine for treatment of opioid disorder. Clinicians will still be required to register with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to prescribe controlled medications. Starting yesterday, 6/27, the DEA registration will require applicants - both new and renewing - to affirm they have completed a new, one-time, eight-hour training. Exceptions for the new training requirement are practitioners who are board certified in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry, and those who graduated from a medical, dental, physician assistant, or advanced practice nursing school in the U.S. within five years of June 27, 2023. 

Funding available for Rural Health Clinics

Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) still have the opportunity to apply for a $3,000 payment on behalf of each provider who trained between January 1, 2019 and January 25, 2023 (when Congress eliminated the waiver requirement).

Approximately $900,000 in program funding remains available for RHCs and will be paid on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted.

Send questions to DATA2000WaiverPayments@hrsa.gov.

Loan Repayment Opportunities

New Funding Opportunity: Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program – Apply by July 13. Eligible substance use disorder (SUD) treatment clinicians and community health workers can apply to receive up to $250,000 in educational loan repayment in exchange for working full-time for six years at an approved facility. Recent research shows that nearly one-fifth (18.4 percent) of rural counties did not have a behavioral health or social service counselor compared to 4.6 percent of urban counties

The Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program Press Release Due July 20. There is $15 million available to recruit and retain clinicians who provide health care to children and adolescents. Links to informational webinars and Q & A sessions can be found here: https://bhw.hrsa.gov/funding/apply-loan-repayment/pediatric-specialty-lrp  

HIPAA Compliance for Telehealth

After exercising and temporarily extending enforcement discretion allowing the use of non-HIPAA-compliant communications technology for telehealth throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency, HHS will resume enforcement on August 9, 2023.

The April 11, 2023 HHS announcement stated: “The HHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR)] is providing a 90-calendar day transition period for covered health care providers to come into compliance with the HIPAA Rules with respect to their provision of telehealth. The transition period will be in effect beginning on May 12, 2023 and will expire at 11:59 p.m. on August 9, 2023. OCR will continue to exercise its enforcement discretion and will not impose penalties on covered health care providers for noncompliance with the HIPAA Rules that occurs in connection with the good faith provision of telehealth during the 90-calendar day transition period.”

The WMS BoT and staff wish you and yours a happy and safe Independence Day!