Congress approved a sweeping bill to address the opioid crisis earlier this year. That measure, now law, included a provision allowing certain non-physicians to treat addicts with buprenorphine.
Last week, federal health officials paved the way for that to take effect—detailing 24 hours of required training for nurse practitioners and physician assistants to complete before they can begin prescribing buprenorphine and similar medications. Buprenorphine is classified as a Schedule III narcotic, and it works
