CMS Listening Session on Opioids Scheduled for September 17

September 5, 2019
Policy Snapshot

CMS Listening Session on Opioids Scheduled for September 17

Are you a physician, nurse practitioner, other advanced practice nurse, or physician assistant who prescribes opioids? The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) wants your input during a listening session on September 17 from 4:30 to 6 PM ET on how best to implement Section 6065 of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (SUPPORT Act). 

Signed into law in October 2018, the SUPPORT Act outlines national strategies to help address opioid misuse. As part of Section 6065 of the SUPPORT Act, CMS is required to notify opioid prescribers with prescription patterns identified as “outliers” compared to their peers and encourage them to reference established opioid prescribing guidelines. 

The purpose of the listening session is to get feedback on the following topics:

  • Methodology to establish outlier prescriber thresholds
  • Tone and content of feedback reports to clinicians
  • How to best identify a “medical specialty” from the National Provider Identifier framework
  • How to define geographic areas for analysis
  • Recommendations on opioid prescribing guidelines to include with the notification

Register for the call here.

You are encouraged to review the following materials before the call: