California Law To Permit Easier Expansion Of Inpatient Addiction Treatment

A new California law will allow hospital executives to use existing beds to provide chemical dependency recovery services, including evidence-based medication for addiction treatment without regulatory action beyond applying to convert the bed to a new type. The law is the result of California Assembly Bill (AB) 2376: Chemical Dependency Recovery Hospitals, which was signed on September 30, 2024. It goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

Once the law goes into effect, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) intends to issue an All Facilities Letter (AFL) to specify requirements under AB 2376 for hospitals to convert existing . . .