SB425 - MAT Act of 2019

• Establishes the "MAT Act of 2019" requiring medication-assisted treatment programs to maintain detailed billing records for three years including amount paid, payment method, date of service, and service description.

• Mandates the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners, in consultation with the Department of Public Health and Department of Mental Health, adopt rules by January 1, 2020 for prescribing buprenorphine in non-residential settings.

• Rules must address appropriate dosing, co-prescribing restrictions (benzodiazepines, barbiturates, stimulants, gabapentin), counseling requirements, drug screening, pain management, diversion control plans, and use of mono-product buprenorphine formulations only.

• Requires creation of a 17-member standing working group of addiction medicine specialists, counselors, and social workers to consult on rule development, including representatives from the Department of Mental Health, Board of Medical Examiners, and Attorney General's Office.

• Specifies rules shall be reviewed and updated annually by September 1 and guided by nationally recognized standards from ASAM, ABAM, ABPM, and SAMHSA; does not modify existing medical liability laws or standards of care.