TennCare's Opioid Strategy
News and Announcements
Please note, procedural and system changes to the buprenorphine prescription benefit for TennCare members were made, effective March 11, 2026. These changes impact prior authorization requirements for providers who prescribe buprenorphine products to TennCare members and those providers who participate in the Buprenorphine Enhanced Supportive Medication Assisted Recovery and Treatment (BESMART) provider network.
To learn more about the changes for BESMART providers, please review the Updates to BESMART Buprenorphine Prior Authorization Process Memo.
As the state’s Medicaid agency, Division of TennCare is an essential component of the states’ overall opioid strategy. In partnership with the contracted Managed Care Organizations, multiple state agencies and with the governor’s office, TennCare developed an opioid strategy with initiatives to combat the crisis which focus on primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of opioid addiction. Primary prevention aims to limit opioid exposure for non-chronic opioid users to prevent the progression to chronic opioid use. Secondary prevention is the early detection and intervention to reduce the impact of opioid misuse in those already using opioids, and lastly tertiary prevention is addiction and recovery support for individuals with opioid dependence and misuse.
The strategy’s priority focus areas are as follows:
- Reducing the risk of TennCare members becoming newly dependent or addicted to opioids;
- Increasing patient engagement, early detection of dependence, and evidence-based pain treatment for TennCare members chronically using opioids; and
- Supporting high-quality addiction and recovery treatment services for TennCare members who are dependent or misusing opioids and other substances