Does suboxone license increase insurance cost?

[PistolPete]

I recently had a discussion with a VA attending who had a part time private practice after transition from one VA job to another, and did some PP in the interim between VA jobs. She said that the first VA made everyone get suboxone licenses, and when she transitioned to PP, her malpractice insurance was 1.5X more because she had the suboxone license, and said not to get it unless I actually intend on using it.

Have any of you experienced this? I was going to get my suboxone license this year just to have it.

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[whopper]

Mine did not, but raising the insurance could be a new feature that was added after I left private practice and that was a few years ago.

I'm not surprised. Suboxone patients are higher-risk in many regards and are much more labor-intensive. Further, several doctors have prescribed it in a manner not appropriate per the guidelines laid out by the DEA and local laws and got the license with apparently full intent to just make money giving it out.

I know several psychiatrists that don't want a buprenorphine license because they don't want to deal with cluster B addicts calling them 3 in the morning demanding Suboxone.

 

[PikminOC]

Be ready for site visits by dea. Any returned suboxone has to be sent back as well.

 

[novopsych]

I really don't feel like letting the cat out of the bag, but the new thing that is going to be booming is Botox. You don't need a license, easy to do, low-risk, and more and more evidence is showing it effectively treats depression. Not only that, offering a dance therapy practice and keeping the heat up fairly high in the winters means I have a very soft-sell to my sweatier clients who need Botox for that reason.

Don't bother with suboxone when there's low-hanging fruit all around.

 

[TexasPhysician]

Suboxone has not increased my premiums.