HB712 • 2026

Office-based buprenorphine treatment; Board of Medicine to amend regulations.

An Act to direct the Board of Medicine to amend its regulations regarding office-based buprenorphine treatment to require providers to offer counseling or referral to counseling.

Healthcare

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Wachsmann
Last action: 2026-04-06
Official status: Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on the effective date of the new regulations.

Office-Based Buprenorphine Treatment Counseling Requirement

This act requires doctors to offer counseling or help finding counseling for patients who receive buprenorphine treatment in their offices.

What This Bill Does

Directs the Board of Medicine to change its rules about office-based buprenorphine treatment to require providers to offer counseling or referral to counseling as clinically necessary and mutually agreed-upon.
Specifies that a patient's refusal of counseling does not prevent them from receiving buprenorphine treatment.

Who It Names or Affects

Doctors who provide office-based buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder
Patients receiving buprenorphine treatment in doctors' offices

Terms To Know

Buprenorphine: A medicine used to treat addiction to opioids.
Office-based treatment: Medical care given by a doctor in their office instead of at a hospital or special clinic.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify when the new rules will take effect.
It is unclear how many doctors currently offer counseling with buprenorphine treatment.

Bill History

2026-04-06 Governor
Approved by Governor-Chapter 207 (effective 7/1/2026)
2026-04-06 Governor
Approved by Governor-Chapter 207 (effective 7/1/2026)
2026-04-06 Governor
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0207)
2026-03-10 House
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026
2026-03-10 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-02-26 House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB712)
2026-02-25 House
Signed by Speaker
2026-02-25 Senate
Signed by President
2026-02-25 House
Enrolled
2026-02-25 House
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB712ER)
2026-02-23 Senate
Read third time
2026-02-23 Senate
Passed Senate Block Vote (38-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-20 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-02-20 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-02-20 Senate
Passed by for the day
2026-02-20 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-20 Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-02-19 Education and Health
Reported from Education and Health (13-Y 0-N)
2026-02-03 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
2026-02-03 Education and Health
Referred to Committee on Education and Health
2026-02-02 House
Read third time and passed House Block Vote (99-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-01-30 House
Read second time and engrossed
2026-01-29 House
Read first time
2026-01-27 Health and Human Services
Reported from Health and Human Services (22-Y 0-N)
2026-01-22 Health Professions
Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N)
2026-01-21 Health Professions
Assigned sub: Health Professions
2026-01-16 House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB712)
2026-01-13 House
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104755D
2026-01-13 Health and Human Services
Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services

Official Summary Text

Board of Medicine;
office-based buprenorphine treatment; counseling.
Directs the Board of Medicine to amend its regulations regarding office-based buprenorphine treatment to require providers to offer counseling or referral to counseling to each patient as clinically necessary and mutually agreed-upon. The bill specifies that a patient's refusal of counseling does not preclude the patient from receiving office-based buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care and is identical to SB 641.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

An Act to direct the Board of Medicine to amend its regulations regarding office-based buprenorphine treatment to require providers to offer counseling or referral to counseling.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1.
§ 1. That the Board of Medicine shall amend its regulations regarding office-based buprenorphine treatment to require providers to offer counseling or referral to counseling to each patient as clinically necessary and mutually agreed-upon. Under such regulations, a patient's refusal shall not preclude the patient from receiving office-based buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder.