Indianapolis, In. — Stopping addiction means ensuring those who need help are provided with meaningful and effective treatment options.
One treatment option for Hoosiers battling addiction is an Office-Based Opioid Treatment (OBOT) program, many of which have recently opened in our state. While these programs can be valuable, they are lacking appropriate regulations to protect patients.
To ensure these programs are operating responsibly, I supported Senate Bill 141, which would set common-sense regulations for OBOT programs and require doctors to outline a specific treatment agreement with the patient before starting treatment.
For example, this bill would require doctors engaged in OBOT programs to:
- Perform initial assessments before treatment begins;
- Look at the patient’s substance abuse history;
- Perform a mental health assessment;
- Drug test the patient periodically to see if they are sticking with their plan and not using other drugs;
- Check INSPECT (Indiana’s prescription monitoring system) at least four times per year during treatment;
- Test if the patient is pregnant and counsel them about the use of opioids during pregnancy; and
- Provide ongoing support therapy.
SB 141 recently passed out of the Senate with bipartisan support and will now move to the House of Representatives for consideration.
For more information on SB 141, click here.
