The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists' CEO sent President Joe Biden a letter Feb. 13 asking him to allow pharmacists to "finish the job" with lessening the nation's opioid use disorder epidemic.
Paul Abramowitz, PharmD, urged the president to wield the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act and authorize pharmacists to initiate medications for opioid use disorder and co-prescribe naloxone.
In the letter, Dr. Abramowitz also asked him to "allow physicians to bill for complex evaluation and management services when provided by a pharmacist incident to the physician," grant prescribers the ability to initiate opioid use disorder medications through telehealth, and allow physicians the option to virtually supervise pharmacists. He seeks for the last two to be made permanent, as they are tied to the soon-to-expire federal COVID-19 public health emergency.