S. 921 would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to study whether hospital emergency departments should routinely conduct fentanyl testing of patients who arrive for drug-overdose treatment. The aim would be to assess costs, benefits, and risks of the testing and to identify staff-training needs, available federal resources, and barriers to implementation. The department would be directed to develop guidance concerning the implementation of routine testing and identify related best practices.
Using information about the costs of similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing S. 921 would increase the department’s administrative costs by less than $500,000 in any year and by $1 million over the 2026-2031 period; any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Amy Zettle. The estimate was reviewed by Chad Chirico, Director of Budget Analysis.
