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The Washington Examiner has named the Indexing, Narcotics, Fentanyl, and Opioids (INFO) Act as one of the key provisions in H.R. 6, the final opioid package which passed the House last week. The bill should pass the Senate soon and then it heads to the President’s desk. 

For more information on the INFO Act and H.R. 6, click here.

Daily on Healthcare: Here’s what’s in the final opioid package

Congress reaches final deal on opioid package. Congressional leaders have finalized a deal on a wide-ranging bill to help reduce addictions and deaths from opioids. The bill, which spans 660 pages, was announced late Tuesday evening and marks a significant bipartisan victory ahead of the midterm elections. The death toll from opioids reached 40,000 people in 2017, and the legislation changes regulations, gives more tools to medical research entities and law enforcement, and uses funding from various spending bills advanced earlier this year. Congressional leaders did not release a timeline for a vote, but said they expected the deal to pass "swiftly" and head to President Trump's desk.

Key provisions in opioid bill:

• The STOP Act, which gives the U.S. postal service more tools to identify suspicious shipments of illicit fentanyl from overseas;
• The CRIB Act intended to help newborns suffering from addiction. The bill would allow Medicaid to cover residential pediatric recovery providers in addition to hospitals;
• A measure to give the Food and Drug Administration authority to limit opioid packaging to blister packs that provide only a three to five-day supply. The goal is to limit overuse; and
• The INFO Act that creates a database that can be used by local law enforcement, governments, pharmacists and healthcare providers that has information on how to fight the epidemic. The database will also have information on federal funding opportunities.
  

For the full article, click here.