News Report | July 12, 2015
Buprenorphine Waivers For Physicians Increased Access To Medicaid-Assisted Opioid Treatment By 74%
Between 2002 and 2011, access to opioid dependence treatment increased by 74% due to an increase in the number of office-based physicians who obtained federal waivers to administer buprenorphine as an outpatient treatment. In 2012 about 2.2% of U.S. physicians held waivers to administer buprenorphine. After the waivers were first approved in October 2002, by December 2002, about 750 physicians had completed training and were granted waivers. As of July 9, 2015, 29,749 physicians held buprenorphine waivers. As the number of physicians with buprenorphine waivers increased, the percentage of the United States population living in “opioid . . .