ASAM calls for addiction medicine physicians in insurance networks

Abstract

The proposed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act rule by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should include a requirement that addiction medicine physicians be included in health care networks, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). In submitting a comment letter to the proposed rule Jan. 23, ASAM wrote that there should be a separate, individual provider specialty type specific to “Addiction Specialist Physicians” to be included as part of network adequacy. These specialists need to be available to patients in terms of specific time and distance standards, and should include physicians who receive subspecialty board certification in addiction medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine, subspecialty board certification in addiction psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, subspecialty board certification in addiction medicine by the American Osteopathic Association or certification by the American Board of Addiction Medicine. Along the same lines, on Jan. 27, ASAM released a new public policy statement that describes the role of addiction specialist physicians in U.S. health care. For the Jan. 23 letter to the CMS, go to https://sitefinitystorage.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity‐production‐blobs/docs/default‐source/advocacy/letters‐and‐comments/22.01.23‐asam‐comments‐re‐2023‐notice‐of‐benefit‐and‐payment‐parameters‐rule.pdf. For the Jan. 27 public policy statement, go to https://www.asam.org/advocacy/public‐policy‐statements/details/public‐policy‐statements/2022/01/28/public‐policy‐statement‐on‐the‐recognition‐and‐role‐of‐addiction‐specialist‐physicians‐in‐health‐care‐in‐the‐united‐states.