Prescription to Patient: Understanding and Improving Access to MOUD

Dr. Mario San Bartolomé is an Addiction Medicine specialist who is board certified in both Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine. He also chairs ASAM's Practice Management and Regulatory Affairs Committee which oversees ASAM's regulatory affairs portfolio and works to address the practice needs of ASAM's members. Dr. San Bartolomé received his undergraduate degree from UC Davis, his MD from the UC Irvine School of Medicine and received a Master’s in Business Administration from the Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine.

Christopher M. Jones, Pharm.D., Dr.P.H., M.P.H. (Rear Admiral, U.S. Public Health Service), is the Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) and Acting Director of the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality (CBHSQ). Rear Admiral Jones brings a wealth of experience to SAMHSA having led substance use, mental health, and injury prevention policy, program, and research activities for nearly two decades. Prior to becoming Director of CSAP, Rear Admiral Jones served as the director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this role, he provided scientific leadership and overall management of the Center, including driving the Center’s strategic direction and advancing the Center’s priorities. At CDC, Rear Admiral Jones previously served as Deputy Director of the Injury Center and as Associate Director for Strategy and Innovation.

During his career, Rear Admiral Jones has served in a variety of leadership roles in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Among these roles, he served as the first director of the National Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Laboratory at SAMHSA, as the acting Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Science and Data Policy and director of the Division of Science Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) at HHS, and senior advisor in the Office of the Commissioner at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Rear Admiral Jones received a Bachelor of Science degree from Reinhardt College, a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Mercer University, a Master of Public Health degree from New York Medical College, and a Doctor of Public Health in Health Policy from The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. Dr. Jones is a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service and has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications on the topics of substance use, drug overdose, mental health, and injury prevention.

Dr. Lucas G. Hill, PharmD, FCCP, is an independent clinical pharmacist, research consultant, and highly awarded educator with 12 years of postgraduate experience in primary care and substance use services. Through his practice, HillPharmD LLC, Dr. Hill provides comprehensive research consultation, professional speaking, and expert testimony related to controlled substances. His deep clinical expertise includes opioid stewardship, substance use disorder treatment, pharmacy substance use services, opioid antagonists for overdose reversal, emerging drug threats, and controlled substance effects and interactions.

Dr. Hill has provided specialized clinical and research consultation for prominent professional societies and federal agencies focused on pharmacy practice and addiction, including the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). An accomplished and dynamic speaker, he has delivered over 200 platform and panel presentations for major national and regional audiences, such as the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In addition to his educational and consulting work, Dr. Hill serves as a testifying expert in landmark opioid litigation across multiple jurisdictions, providing critical, data-driven analysis of controlled substance dispensing standards.

Daniel Blaney-Koen, JD, is a senior legislative attorney with the American Medical Association Advocacy Resource Center (ARC). The ARC attorneys focus on working with state and specialty medical societies on state legislative, regulatory and policy advocacy. In addition to his work in the ARC, Daniel has held several roles at the AMA, including serving as a public information officer, policy analyst and speechwriter. Currently, Daniel focuses on state legislation and policy concerning the nation’s opioid epidemic, with particular emphasis on overdose prevention and treatment. Daniel also covers other pharmaceutical issues, insurance market reforms and other issues. Prior to joining the AMA in 1999, Daniel earned his Master of Fine Arts in Poetry from Colorado State University, and his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Arizona. He earned his law degree from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Daniel, his wife, two young sons and daughter live in Chicago, Illinois.

Andrew Funk is the director of Member Relations and Government Affairs at NABP. In this role, Andrew assists NABP’s member boards by providing them with the necessary resources to further their mission of protecting public health. Andrew also works with state and federal policy makers on matters related to the practice of pharmacy, medication distribution, and prescription monitoring programs. Prior to joining NABP, Andrew served as the executive director of the Iowa board of pharmacy.

Arielle Bivas, AGPCNP-BC, CARN-AP, is a certified addictions nurse practitioner and harm reductionist with over a decade of clinical expertise in addictions, pain management, and serious illness. She practices in palliative care oncology in Philadelphia, and provides telemedicine-based medication treatment for opioid use disorder throughout several states. She contributes to national clinician education initiatives and serves on professional committees focused on addiction medicine education and policy.

Steve Postal is the Senior Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), as well as the Editorial Director of the American Society for Pharmacy Law (ASPL). Before joining NCPA in April 2022, he worked for the American Physical Therapy Association in federal regulatory affairs. Prior to that, he worked for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) in state affairs, and for the law firm Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville in federal regulatory and legislative health policy.  He received his B.A. in history from Bowdoin College and his J.D. with a concentration in health law from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He is a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia bars and serves on the editorial boards of the American Bar Association Health Law Section’s monthly publication e-Source and RXinsider's 20Ways.

Rachael Renfrew, PharmD, is the founder and principal consultant of Renfrew Strategic Solutions, PLLC, where she helps pharmacies strengthen operations, improve regulatory readiness, and develop practical strategies for sustainable growth. She brings 17 years of pharmacy experience spanning community and long-term care practice, including executive leadership roles overseeing retail and long-term care pharmacy operations. Her experience gives her a practical perspective on the operational and regulatory challenges pharmacies face when expanding access to patient care, including medication treatment for opioid use disorder. She is passionate about helping pharmacists translate clinical opportunities into services that are both accessible to patients and sustainable in real-world pharmacy practice.

Nathan Constable joined Cardinal Health in November 2018. In his current role, Nathan monitors and analyzes federal and state legislation and its impact on Cardinal Health. Nathan also engages with national stakeholders, trade groups, and lawmakers to to advocate for policies that safeguard the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Before joining Cardinal Health, Nathan served as the Director, Legislative Affairs at ElevatingHOME, previously the Visiting Nurse Associations of America, where he developed and executed the organization’s federal legislative priorities. While in this capacity, he worked to secure the introduction and passage of legislation advancing the organization’s policy priorities and delaying harmful regulatory proposals.

Nathan holds a master’s degree from The George Washington University and a B.A from Hartwick College. He lives in Powell, OH with his wife Blaire and their two children.