Removal of 30-patient limit for Buprenorphine a Good Thing

Wider access to Buprenorphine for the treatment of heroin addiction is indeed a welcome development (Aug 4, 2005). The 30 patient limit on physician groups, even those working for hospitals, never made sense and it's good that it's been removed.

One major healthcare system, however, the Veteran's Affairs network, has been exempt from this limit from the outset. As the largest integrated healthcare provider in the nation, the VA could have been delivering this care to tens of thousands of patients for several years, but it has sat passively on the sidelines and ignored the need that everyone knows exists. Why?