Patients With Opioid Use Disorder Deserve Trained Providers
Authors: Justin Berk, J. Deanna Wilson, James H. Miller, Leonard Feldman
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2020)

Letters2 June 2020Patients With Opioid Use Disorder Deserve Trained ProvidersJustin Berk, MD, MPH, MBA, J. Deanna Wilson, MD, MPH, James H. Miller, MD, and Leonard Feldman, MDJustin Berk, MD, MPH, MBAWarren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island (J.B.)Search for more papers by this author, J. Deanna Wilson, MD, MPHUniversity of Pittsburgh Department of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (J.D.W.)Search for more papers by this author, James H. Miller, MDAllegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (J.H.M.)Search for more papers by this author, and Leonard Feldman, MDJohns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland (L.F.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L20-0083 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We applaud Weimer and colleagues (1) for acknowledging the vital importance of substance use training in addressing the opioid epidemic. Removing the X waiver will not serve as a panacea; however, it is an important step to improve access to life-saving treatment for persons with OUD.There is no doubt that the X waiver requirement still hampers access to the most accessible medication for OUD: buprenorphine. No other regulation limits such a safe and life-saving medication. This unique regulatory hurdle further stigmatizes the treatment of patients with addiction and disincentivizes providers from treating this population.Why the ...References1. Weimer MB, Tetrault JM, Fiellin DA. Patients with opioid use disorder deserve trained providers. Ann Intern Med. 2019;171:931-932. [PMID: 31766053]. doi:10.7326/M19-2303 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Frank JW, Wakeman SE, Gordon AJ. No end to the crisis without an end to the waiver [Editorial]. Subst Abus. 2018;39:263-265. [PMID: 30676296] doi:10.1080/08897077.2018.1543382 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Fatseas M, Auriacombe M. Why buprenorphine is so successful in treating opiate addiction in France. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2007;9:358-364. [PMID: 17915074] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Sharfstein JM, Olsen Y. Making amends for the opioid epidemic. JAMA Forum. 7 March 2019. Accessed at https://newsatjama.jama.com/2019/03/07/jama-forum-making-amends-for-the-opioid-epidemic on 23 April 2020. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island (J.B.)University of Pittsburgh Department of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (J.D.W.)Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (J.H.M.)Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland (L.F.)Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L20-0083. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoPatients With Opioid Use Disorder Deserve Trained Providers Melissa B. Weimer , Jeanette M. Tetrault , and David A. Fiellin Patients With Opioid Use Disorder Deserve Trained Providers Melissa B. Weimer , Jeanette M. Tetrault , and David A. Fiellin Patients With Opioid Use Disorder Deserve Trained Providers Richard Saitz Patients With Opioid Use Disorder Deserve Trained Providers Kevin Fiscella , Leo Beletsky , and Sarah E. Wakeman Metrics 2 June 2020Volume 172, Issue 11Page: 773-774KeywordsGraduate medical educationHeart failureHospital medicineMedical educationOpioid addictionOpioid use disorderOpioidsPatientsPediatricsUndergraduates ePublished: 2 June 2020 Issue Published: 2 June 2020 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2020 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...