DEA Issues Guidance on Opioid Treatment Training for Medical Practitioners

On Mar. 28, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued guidance outlining requirements for a one-time, eight-hour training “on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders.” The Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act that was passed as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2023 (P.L. 117-328) requires all DEA-registered providers to complete this training.  

The deadline to satisfy this training requirement is the date of a practitioner’s next scheduled DEA registration submission beginning June 27. Practitioners will be required to check a box on their online DEA registration form to affirm that they have completed the training, regardless of whether the practitioner is a first-time applicant or is renewing their registration.

New graduates from medical / dental schools will be exempt from the requirement. Further, the DEA states that the training does not have to occur in one session and courses previously undertaken in accordance with state mandated continuing education will apply with no time limitation provided they are given by an accredited entity (ADA/ADA CERP/AAOMS).

Currently, training is only available through organizations listed in the federal statute. Those organizations include:

  • American Dental Association.
  • American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
  • ADA CERP-recognized providers (i.e., any organization recognized by the Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition, or CCEPR).

and/or

  • American Society of Addiction Medicine.
  • American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.
  • American Medical Association.
  • American Osteopathic Association.
  • American Psychiatric Association.
  • Any organization accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical
    Education (ACCME).
  • Any organization accredited by a state medical society accreditor that is recognized by the ACCME or the CCEPR.
  • Any organization accredited by the American Osteopathic Association to provide continuing education.
  • Any organization approved by the assistant secretary for mental health and substance abuse, the ACCME, or the CCEPR.

Previous safe prescribing training by one of these providers may satisfy this requirement. 

The Academy of General Dentistry is actively working to provide clarification with the DEA and other regulatory agencies and expand learning opportunities to assist it’s members. 

Leave a Comment

Shopping Cart
Scroll to Top