WASHINGTON, DC - The Health Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), announced a hearing for Tuesday, May 8, 2018, at 1 p.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “Improving the Coordination and Quality of Substance Use Disorder Treatment."
The hearing follows three dedicated legislative hearings to examine the opioid crisis and possible legislative solutions. In February, #SubHealth reviewed eight bills pertaining to the Controlled Substances Act that will improve patient safety and bolster enforcement tools. In March, #SubHealth held a rare two-day hearing examining 25 prevention and public health solutions (read a recap of day one here and a recap of day two here ). And in April, #SubHealth examined legislation to address coverage and payment issues within Medicare and Medicaid.
During #SubHealth ’s two-day hearing focused on prevention and public health solutions, both committee members and witnesses spoke in support of H.R. 3545, the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act, authored by Reps. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR).
H.R. 3545, and its amendment in the nature of a substitute (AINS), would permit substance use disorder (SUD) treatment records to be shared in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations. The bill would also increase the penalties in the event of disclosure, add breach notification requirements, and provide discrimination prohibitions to protect people seeking and receiving SUD treatment.
“Throughout this process, we continue to hear this outdated policy is doing far more harm than good. At a recent roundtable with victims of the opioid crisis, several of the parents told us that reforming this statute is among their top priorities," said #SubHealth Chairman Burgess. “We’ve been working with advocates, doctors, and stakeholders on a bipartisan basis to strike a careful balance between ensuring the necessary privacy protections remain in place and strengthening this statute to safely and effectively coordinate care. Following a request from our minority to continue the dialogue on this critical reform, we look forward to the opportunity to further advance this important bipartisan legislation."
The Majority Memorandum, witness list, and witness testimony for the hearing will be available here as they are posted.
