Latest News

Ohio’s opioid dependency clinics (sometimes referred to as Suboxone Clinics) face a myriad of new regulation and legal requirements. On January 4, 2017 Governor Kasich signed SB 319 into law. The new law will go into effect later this year. Among the provisions of SB 319 is a requirement that medical offices providing treatment for opioid dependence must obtain a separate license through the Ohio Pharmacy Board.

While the Pharmacy Board has not yet provided the specific rules for implementing SB 319, many people in the industry believe these new rules will look very familiar. Specifically, the Pharmacy Board is expected to borrow from a 2011 law governing the ownership and management of pain clinics (HB 93). Should the Pharmacy Board adopt the pain clinic model, it will limit ownership of opioid dependency clinics to licensed Ohio physicians and preclude ownership by any physician with a disciplinary history. Potential impact on patient care is still unknown; however, the additional regulation will almost certainly limit access to addiction treatment services.

If you are a physician and have concerns about your practice, or if you would like to know how this new law may impact you, please contact administrative lawyer Levi Tkach, today. There may be proactive options to protect you from potentially criminal, civil, and administrative actions.