Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Supporting Seniors with Opioid Use Disorder Act of 2022”.
Supporting Seniors with Opioid Use Disorder Act of 2022
A BILL
To improve access to opioid use disorder treatment services under the Medicare program.
Sec. 2 Increasing awareness and data collection regarding medicare coverage of opioid use disorder treatment services
Required outreach— The Secretary shall advance education and awareness among beneficiaries and health care providers regarding coverage of opioid use disorder treatment services furnished in person or via telehealth under the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.), including by revising outreach and enrollment materials as appropriate, making State and national contact information for health care providers publicly available in an easily accessible manner, tailoring outreach to at risk or underserved beneficiaries as appropriate, and developing or improving continuing education programs that advance the education of providers on the prescribing of, and relevant clinical considerations with respect to, opioid medications and substance use disorder treatment programs.
Report and evaluation— The Secretary shall conduct an evaluation of the outreach conducted under subsection (a) not later than 18 months after initiating such activities and shall submit to Congress a report that provides an analysis of the effectiveness of outreach activities targeting beneficiaries who were previously not receiving opioid use disorder treatment services, including the effect of such outreach on beneficiary access to care and utilization of services, in addition to the number of providers treating beneficiaries for opioid use disorder in office-based settings.
Improving data collection— Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall provide data to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on—
the number of Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with opioid use disorder;
the number of beneficiaries who receive medication-assisted treatment under the Medicare program;
the number of beneficiaries who receive medication-assisted treatment under the Medicare program who also receive behavioral therapy; and
any geographic areas in which beneficiaries remain underserved with respect to the provision of opioid use disorder treatment services under the Medicare program.
Stakeholder meeting— Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall convene a meeting of stakeholders, including practicing behavioral health providers, to share best practices on the utilization of behavioral therapy among beneficiaries receiving medication to treat opioid use disorder under the Medicare program.
Definitions— In this section:
Administrator— The term Administrator means the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Medication assisted treatment— The term medication-assisted treatment means an evidence-based treatment that consists of the administration of medications and related behavioral therapies.
Opioid treatment program— The term opioid treatment program has the meaning given that term in paragraph (2) of section 1861(jjj) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(jjj)).
Opioid use disorder treatment services— The term opioid use disorder treatment services has the meaning given that term in paragraph (1) of such section.
Secretary— The term Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.