(a) As used in this section:

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 63-1-403

  • Commissioner: means the commissioner of health. See Tennessee Code 63-1-401
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Treatment guidelines: means systematically developed statements to assist healthcare providers in making patient decisions concerning appropriate medical care for specific clinical circumstances and settings. See Tennessee Code 63-1-401
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1) “Commissioners” means the commissioner of mental health and substance abuse services and the commissioner of health; and
(2) “Nonresidential buprenorphine treatment guidelines” means systematically developed standards to assist any practitioners authorized by the state to prescribe buprenorphine-containing products for the treatment of opioid use disorder as defined in the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
(b)

(1) By January 1, 2018, the commissioner of mental health and substance abuse services, in collaboration with the commissioner of health, shall develop recommended nonresidential treatment guidelines for the use of buprenorphine that can be used by prescribers in this state as a guide for caring for patients. This subsection (b) shall only apply to practitioners prescribing buprenorphine-containing products for the treatment of opioid use disorder in a nonresidential setting. The guidelines must be consistent with applicable state and federal laws.
(2) Guidelines from nationally recognized organizations, such as the American Society of Addiction Medicine, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the American Board of Preventative Medicine, must serve as resources in the development of guidelines under this section.
(3) The commissioner of mental health and substance abuse services shall consult with appropriate physicians, alcohol and substance abuse counselors, and other experts to serve as resources in the development of guidelines under this section.
(c) By July 1, 2019, the commissioner of mental health and substance abuse services, in collaboration with the commissioner of health, shall revise the nonresidential buprenorphine treatment guidelines to be consistent with state and federal law and establish protocols for initiating periodic prescriber-initiated-and-led discussions with patients regarding patient readiness to taper down or taper off opioids employed in treatment. The commissioner of mental health and substance abuse services shall consult with appropriate physicians, alcohol and substance abuse counselors, and other experts to serve as resources in the development of guidelines under this subsection (c).
(d) Beginning in 2019, the commissioners shall review the nonresidential buprenorphine treatment guidelines by September 30 of each year and shall cause these guidelines to be posted on both the department of mental health and substance abuse services and the department of health’s websites.
(e)

(1) The commissioner of mental health and substance abuse services shall submit the nonresidential buprenorphine treatment guidelines to each health-related board that licenses any practitioner authorized by the state to prescribe buprenorphine-containing products for the treatment of an opioid use disorder as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and to the board of pharmacy.
(2) Each board shall review the nonresidential buprenorphine treatment guidelines and determine how the nonresidential buprenorphine treatment guidelines should be used by that board’s licensees.
(3) Each board shall post the nonresidential buprenorphine guidelines and standards on the licensing board’s website.
(f) The commissioner of mental health and substance abuse services shall provide a copy of any guidelines developed pursuant to this section and any revision to those guidelines developed pursuant to this section to the chairs of the health committee of the house of representatives and the health and welfare committee of the senate at the time the guidelines or the revisions are posted on websites of the department of mental health and substance abuse services and the department of health.
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