Health care providers who address and treat addiction are frontline responders to the crisis that sees opioid overdose deaths rising across the country. Effective January 1, 2017, Ohio revised its rules regarding the licensure of various behavioral health providers and addiction treatment service providers, removing several legislative barriers to providing such services and opening access to offering these services to certain new groups, including for-profit entities. For professionals providing alcohol and drug addiction services, a clear understanding of Ohio’s certification, licensure and other regulatory requirements is critical.

In Ohio, an Outpatient Treatment Program (OTP) is an entity that is certified by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) to provide certain alcohol and drug addiction services. One prerequisite to qualifying for OTP certification is that, absent pre-existing accreditation, the entity must first provide OTP services for two months to a specified number of patients. Providers should be aware of the specific pharmacy licensure requirements for offering services during the two-month pre-certification period. If office-based opioid treatment is offered in addition to basic OTP services to enough patients during this time, certain Ohio Board of Pharmacy licensure classifications are necessary. Additionally, where an OTP seeks to treat individuals with opioid dependence through the onsite administration or dispensing of an opioid treatment medication in the form of methadone, the provider must also obtain a methadone treatment license from OhioMHAS.