OTP Physician Letter of Support for MOTAA 2.0
OTP Physician Letter of Support for MOTAA 2.0
The Issue
Dear Members of Congress:
We are a group of addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry doctors and medical directors that treat patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) with methadone in federally regulated opioid treatment programs (OTPs) across the country. We write in strong support of (H.R.9790 / S.4941) - the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0 (MOTAA 2.0) and urge Congress to advance this bipartisan legislation.
As physicians on the front lines of the overdose crisis, we see the impact methadone treatment for OUD makes in the lives of our patients and communities. Yet, federal restrictions constrain patient access to lifesaving methadone treatment for OUD and compel us to advocate for change.
MOTAA 2.0 would newly allow addiction board-certified licensed physicians to prescribe methadone for OUD outside of OTPs. We support MOTAA 2.0 legislation for four important reasons:
1.Expands access to lifesaving treatment
Methadone is one of the most effective medications available for the treatment of OUD. Yet, the current system requires patients to travel frequently (and often great distances) to OTPs that are not available in many communities. This travel burden creates challenges for patients who work, care for children or family members, lack reliable transportation, have complex medical or psychosocial needs, or live in rural areas far from an OTP.
MOTAA 2.0 would expand access to methadone for OUD by allowing highly trained, appropriately qualified physicians to prescribe methadone for pharmacy dispensing. Among the many potential benefits of such a system, pharmacies are more geographically distributed and open for longer hours than OTPs. One study found that across the U.S., one-way average drive times to pharmacies were 15 minutes faster than to OTPs and 50 minutes faster in rural areas. Thus, MOTAA 2.0 could potentially save patients multiple hours in travel daily.
2. Ensures strong oversight and safety guardrails
MOTAA 2.0 ensures a framework of federal and state regulation and safeguards for the prescribing and dispensing of methadone for OUD.
As physicians, we support responsible expansion of access that prioritizes patient safety and treatment access. Qualified clinicians who treat OUD and pharmacists who dispense methadone understand the appropriate use of methadone, including individualized dosing, monitoring, assessment of risks, and coordination of care.
The goal of MOTAA 2.0 is to expand access points to methadone under the authority of qualified clinicians and pharmacists to provide evidence-based treatment in appropriate settings.
3. Supports rural and underserved communities
The need for better methadone treatment access for OUD is particularly urgent in rural and underserved communities.
Over 80% of counties in the US do not have an OTP, making treatment out of reach for a large swath of individuals who need it.
Allowing qualified physicians to prescribe and dispense methadone in pharmacies would create additional opportunities for patients to receive treatment in rural areas where OTPs are rarely available and to receive treatment closer to where they live, work, and receive other medical care.
4. Destigmatizes addiction treatment
OUD is a chronic medical condition. To destigmatize addiction, patients with OUD deserve access to treatment that is integrated into the broader healthcare system.
Today, methadone treatment for OUD is subject to unique rules that distinguish it from all other medications and indications and separates addiction care from the rest of a patient's medical care. This contributes to stigma, unmet general medical needs, and creates unnecessary barriers for both patients and clinicians.
MOTAA 2.0 would integrate methadone treatment for OUD into mainstream healthcare by allowing qualified physicians to prescribe it and pharmacies to dispense it, while ensuring necessary safeguards.
As physicians, we believe that expanding methadone access via MOTAA 2.0 is both evidenced-based and imperative. We can expand access to a lifesaving treatment while maintaining strong oversight, supporting rural and underserved communities, and integrating addiction treatment as a critical part of American healthcare.
We urge you to support the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0.
Sincerely,
24
The Issue
Dear Members of Congress:
We are a group of addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry doctors and medical directors that treat patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) with methadone in federally regulated opioid treatment programs (OTPs) across the country. We write in strong support of (H.R.9790 / S.4941) - the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0 (MOTAA 2.0) and urge Congress to advance this bipartisan legislation.
As physicians on the front lines of the overdose crisis, we see the impact methadone treatment for OUD makes in the lives of our patients and communities. Yet, federal restrictions constrain patient access to lifesaving methadone treatment for OUD and compel us to advocate for change.
MOTAA 2.0 would newly allow addiction board-certified licensed physicians to prescribe methadone for OUD outside of OTPs. We support MOTAA 2.0 legislation for four important reasons:
1.Expands access to lifesaving treatment
Methadone is one of the most effective medications available for the treatment of OUD. Yet, the current system requires patients to travel frequently (and often great distances) to OTPs that are not available in many communities. This travel burden creates challenges for patients who work, care for children or family members, lack reliable transportation, have complex medical or psychosocial needs, or live in rural areas far from an OTP.
MOTAA 2.0 would expand access to methadone for OUD by allowing highly trained, appropriately qualified physicians to prescribe methadone for pharmacy dispensing. Among the many potential benefits of such a system, pharmacies are more geographically distributed and open for longer hours than OTPs. One study found that across the U.S., one-way average drive times to pharmacies were 15 minutes faster than to OTPs and 50 minutes faster in rural areas. Thus, MOTAA 2.0 could potentially save patients multiple hours in travel daily.
2. Ensures strong oversight and safety guardrails
MOTAA 2.0 ensures a framework of federal and state regulation and safeguards for the prescribing and dispensing of methadone for OUD.
As physicians, we support responsible expansion of access that prioritizes patient safety and treatment access. Qualified clinicians who treat OUD and pharmacists who dispense methadone understand the appropriate use of methadone, including individualized dosing, monitoring, assessment of risks, and coordination of care.
The goal of MOTAA 2.0 is to expand access points to methadone under the authority of qualified clinicians and pharmacists to provide evidence-based treatment in appropriate settings.
3. Supports rural and underserved communities
The need for better methadone treatment access for OUD is particularly urgent in rural and underserved communities.
Over 80% of counties in the US do not have an OTP, making treatment out of reach for a large swath of individuals who need it.
Allowing qualified physicians to prescribe and dispense methadone in pharmacies would create additional opportunities for patients to receive treatment in rural areas where OTPs are rarely available and to receive treatment closer to where they live, work, and receive other medical care.
4. Destigmatizes addiction treatment
OUD is a chronic medical condition. To destigmatize addiction, patients with OUD deserve access to treatment that is integrated into the broader healthcare system.
Today, methadone treatment for OUD is subject to unique rules that distinguish it from all other medications and indications and separates addiction care from the rest of a patient's medical care. This contributes to stigma, unmet general medical needs, and creates unnecessary barriers for both patients and clinicians.
MOTAA 2.0 would integrate methadone treatment for OUD into mainstream healthcare by allowing qualified physicians to prescribe it and pharmacies to dispense it, while ensuring necessary safeguards.
As physicians, we believe that expanding methadone access via MOTAA 2.0 is both evidenced-based and imperative. We can expand access to a lifesaving treatment while maintaining strong oversight, supporting rural and underserved communities, and integrating addiction treatment as a critical part of American healthcare.
We urge you to support the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0.
Sincerely,
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on September 22, 2026