1. (1) The Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services shall designate an individual within the department to serve as the SOTA to facilitate oversight and technical assistance to licensed Facilities under this Chapter. The individual designated shall have demonstrated education and background evidencing comprehensive knowledge of opioid drugs and their effects.

2. (2) The powers and duties of the SOTA, and SOTA designees, include, but are not limited to, the following:

   1. (a) Facilitating the development and implementation of rules, regulations, standards and best practice guidelines to assure the quality of services delivered by Facilities;
   2. (b) Acting as a liaison between relevant State and federal agencies;
   3. (c) Reviewing opioid treatment guidelines and regulations developed by the federal government;
   4. (d) Assuring delivery of technical assistance and informational materials to Facilities as needed;
   5. (e) Performing unannounced inspections of Facilities;
   6. (f) Consulting with the federal government regarding approval or disapproval of requests for exceptions to federal regulations, where appropriate; OPIOD TREATMENT PROGRAM FACILITIES
   7. (g) Reviewing and approving exceptions to federal and state dosage policies and procedures;
   8. (h) Receiving and addressing service recipient appeals and grievances;

   9. (i) Monitoring of performance outcomes. The following performance indicators may be used to evaluate the impact of the Facility on service recipients and the community and may include, but not be limited to:

      1. 1. Service recipient satisfaction;
      2. 2. Service recipient employment status;
      3. 3. Improvement in medical conditions;
      4. 4. Drop-out rate;
      5. 5. Recidivism rates;
      6. 6. Alcohol use;
      7. 7. Criminal arrests;
      8. 8. Illicit drug use, as indicated by drug screens; and
      9. 9. Improvement in social and living standards.
   10. (j) Working cooperatively with other relevant state agencies to determine the service need in the location of a proposed Facility.

Authority: T.C.A. §§ 4-3-1601, 4-4-103, 33-1-302, 33-1-305, 33-1-309, 33-2-301, 33-2-302, and 33-2- 404. Administrative History: Original rule filed June 8, 1999; effective August 22, 1999. Amendment filed February 18, 2003; effective May 4, 2003. Amendment filed April 30, 2003; effective July 14, 2003. Amendment filed April 20, 2006; effective July 4, 2006. Amendment filed July 18, 2007; effective October 1, 2007. Per Executive Order 44 (February 23, 2007), rule was transferred from 1200-08-21 on May 15, 2008. Repeal and new rule filed September 20, 2012; effective December 19, 2012. Amendments filed June 6, 2025; effective September 4, 2025.