Tag: SUD

2023 Ludwig Nominee: Munson Healthcare Expanding Substance Use Disorder Treatment, Recovery in Northern Michigan

Member News

Since 1990, the MHA has honored member healthcare organizations working to enrich the overall welfare of their local communities through the Ludwig Community Benefit Award. This year, the MHA is excited to showcase all award nominees, highlighting the exceptional and creative work being accomplished by Michigan’s hospitals.

Munson Healthcare (MHC), a 2023 nominee, is advancing the health of northern Michigan communities through the Regional Community Health Opioid Initiative, which offers resources for Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery. This includes efforts to address stigma, ensure safe prescribing and educate both patients and providers.

In a 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment, SUD was identified as a top concern in the regions Munson serves. The issue affects people from all demographics, income levels and educational backgrounds. Although SUDs are common, recurrent and often serious, treatment options in rural Northern Michigan are limited. In many cases, patients seeking help are tasked with travelling several hours for treatment or go without care because of this barrier.

The MHC initiative improves access to treatment by providing on-demand resources in the emergency and inpatient setting while reducing SUD-related medical complications through offerings like take-home naloxone for at-risk individuals. The health system also focuses on fostering community partnerships; implementing stigma reduction campaigns, staff education and peer recovery coaching; expanding harm reduction and enhancing suicide prevention efforts.

In addition to serving the residents of Grand Traverse, Wexford, Manistee, Kalkaska, Antrim and Otsego counties, MHC teams hope to expand programming into more areas where SUD resources are limited or not available. Simultaneously, they are working to share best practices for treatment with regional primary care clinics and extend long-term recovery resources for Michiganders.

Members with questions about the program or the Ludwig Community Benefit Award should contact Erica Leyko at the MHA.

DEA Change in X-Waiver Requirement

Member News

President Biden approved the elimination of the DATA Waiver (X-Wavier) requirement and several other prescribing practice changes when he signed Dec. 29 the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. Changes to prescribing practices include:

  • No longer requiring the X-Waiver to treat patients with buprenorphine for opioid use disorder.
  • Removing any limits or caps on the number of patients a prescriber may treat with buprenorphine for opioid use disorder.
  • Only requiring a standard Drug Enforcement Administration registration number for all prescriptions for buprenorphine moving forward.
  • Maintaining existing state laws or regulations that may be applicable.
  • Introducing new training requirements for all prescribers that are expected to take effect June 21, 2023. These requirements have not yet been made clear, but do not impact the elimination of the X-Waiver.

Biden held an event at the White House Jan. 24 celebrating the policy change as a bipartisan success that will increase access to medication for opioid use disorder. The additional barriers the X-Waiver presented deterred providers from offering these services and a similar license was never required for prescribing other controlled substances like opioids.

Current laws and regulations in Michigan have not changed because of the changes to federal X-Waiver requirements, but the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) is in the process of revising substance use disorder (SUD) rules that would no longer require a SUD program license for buprenorphine providers. The Michigan Public Health code currently states:

  • A substance use disorder services program license is required if a prescriber is providing buprenorphine treatment to more than 100 individuals OR is providing methadone treatment.
  • No license is needed if a prescriber is administering buprenorphine treatment to less than 100 individuals at a time.

Michigan’s current rules and regulations regarding prescribing buprenorphine are available on the LARA Substance Abuse Program Licensure webpage.

Members will be updated once the revised SUD rules are approved by the Michigan Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. Updated federal information will be available on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website.

Members with questions should contact the MHA Keystone Center.