Under the new Federal Regulations, can programs continue to seek hardship exceptions when it is in the best interest of the patients treatment?
Yes. The new Federal regulations continue to provide a program the opportunity to request from SAMHSA an exception from the regulatory requirements when the rehabilitative benefit outweighs the potential for diversion or other problems. Exceptions are often in line with the focus on individualized treatment, and are requested largely due to some hardship encountered by the patient. As stated above in FAQ 11, examples would be: living long distances from the OTP, transportation difficulties, medication hours conflict with patients employment, weather related travel advisories. These issues will be considered as long as the patient meets all other requirements. It should be noted that in most states, the State Methadone Authority may also need to approve exception requests. CARF : Commission for the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (pronounced Carf) CFR : Code of Federal Regulations (or Federal Code) CSAT : Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (pronounced Cee-Sat) FDA : Food an
