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An Act To Require Patients of Opioid Treatment Programs To Release Medical Information to a Designated Primary Care Physician
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §20003, sub-§17-A  is enacted to read:
 
17-A.  Opioid treatment program.     "Opioid treatment program" means a public, private or nonprofit treatment program for persons with a serious physiological opiate addiction.
Sec. 2. 5 MRSA §20054  is enacted to read:
§ 20054.  Participation in opioid treatment programs
 
1.  Required release of information.     A person may not participate in an opioid treatment program unless the person signs a release authorizing the program to provide monthly clinical information to a primary care physician licensed to practice in the State who is responsible for the person's general health care.
 
2.  Monthly reports of clinical information.     An opioid treatment program shall report clinical information to each participant's primary care provider once a month.
 
3.  Rules.     The office shall adopt rules to implement this section. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
 
SUMMARY
This bill prohibits a person from participating in an opioid treatment program unless the person signs a release authorizing the program to provide monthly clinical information to a primary care provider licensed to practice in the State who is responsible for the person's general health care. It requires opioid treatment programs to report clinical information to each participant's primary care provider once a month. It requires the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Substance Abuse to adopt routine technical rules.