The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) applauds the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) decision to effectively remove the “X-waiver” requirement for physicians, expanding their ability to utilize medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for patients struggling with opioid use disorder (OUD).
“As emergency physicians, we see every day the devastating effects that the opioid crisis has had on the communities we serve—a crisis that has unfortunately only worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mark Rosenberg, DO, MBA, FACEP, president of ACEP. “Buprenorphine is the most important medication in our arsenal for treating opioid use disorder, which is currently one of the most lethal diseases for Americans.”
Source: ACEP
