SB425 Alabama 2019 Session

Updated Feb 26, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Larry StuttsSenator
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2019
Title: Health care, treatment guidelines relating to buprenorphine, review committee established to aid in rule drafting
Summary: SB 425 creates guidelines and an administrative framework for prescribing buprenorphine in nonresidential treatment programs and sets up rules, record-keeping, and a provider registry to support Medication Assisted Treatment in Alabama.
What This Bill Does
It requires detailed billing and cash-payment records for all MAT patient visits, kept for three years. It directs the Board of Medical Examiners to adopt rules by January 1, 2020 for prescribing buprenorphine in nonresidential settings, covering dosing, co-prescribing with other drugs, counseling and case management, drug screening, patient education, PDMP use, and a diversion control plan, among other items. It establishes a 17-member standing working group to help draft the rules, including addiction medicine specialists, counselors, and representatives from state agencies. The rules will be guided by national clinical guidelines and updated annually, and will aim to educate physicians and prevent abuse/diversion while complying with existing laws and liability standards.

Who It Affects
Patients receiving buprenorphine-based medication-assisted treatment in nonresidential programs (subject to record-keeping, counseling, education, and monitoring requirements).
Healthcare providers and treatment facilities that prescribe or administer buprenorphine in nonresidential settings (must follow dosing and co-prescribing rules, counseling requirements, PDMP use, record-keeping, and participate in the provider registry).
State regulatory bodies and agencies (Board of Medical Examiners, Department of Public Health, Department of Mental Health, and the Attorney General's Office) responsible for creating, updating, and enforcing the new rules and maintaining the MAT provider registry.

Key Provisions
Establishes the MAT Act of 2019 to set guidelines for buprenorphine use in nonresidential treatment programs and authorizes rule adoption to implement the act.
Requires comprehensive billing records for MAT visits and three-year retention, including payment amount, method, service dates, and service descriptions; requires bank deposit records for cash MAT payments for three years.
By January 1, 2020, mandates the creation of rules for buprenorphine prescribing in nonresidential settings, addressing dosing, co-prescribing with benzodiazepines, barbiturates, stimulants, or gabapentin; counseling, screening, education, and PDMP use; relapse management; diversion control; mono-product buprenorphine usage; and a MAT provider registry.
Rules must be guided by ASAM, ABAM, ABPM, and SAMHSA guidelines and be consistent with federal/state law.
Convenes a 17-member standing working group of addiction medicine specialists, counselors, social workers, and state agency representatives to assist with rule drafting and updates.
Requires annual review and updates of the rules starting by September 1, 2020, and explicitly states the act does not modify existing liability laws.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Health