Beginning June 27, 2023, all new or renewing U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) licensees, will be required to check a box to affirm that they have fulfilled an eight-hour training requirement on treatment and management of patients with substance use disorders.
This is a one-time training requirement affirmation. Members can find free training courses online:
Background
The Medication Access and Training Expansion Act (MATE) was included in an omnibus spending bill that Congress passed at the end of 2022. The law requires all U.S. DEA-registered practitioners, including ophthalmologists, to complete eight hours of training on opioid or other substance use disorders and the appropriate treatment of pain before receiving or renewing a DEA registration.
In March 2023, the DEA and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration issued guidance on the training that will meet the law’s requirements.
The deadline to satisfy this training requirement is the date of a practitioner’s next scheduled DEA registration submission beginning on or after June 27, 2023. Practitioners will be able to simply check a box on their initial DEA registration application or renewal registration indicating that they have satisfied this requirement.
Who Is Affected
- All DEA-registered practitioners, with the exception of practitioners that are solely veterinarians
How to Report Satisfying the Requirement
- Beginning June 27, 2023, practitioners must check a box on their online DEA registration form — regardless of whether a registrant is completing their initial registration application or renewing their registration — affirming that they have completed the new training requirement.
- The deadline is the date of a practitioner’s next scheduled DEA registration submission — regardless of whether it is an initial registration or a renewal registration — on or after June 27, 2023.
- This one-time training requirement affirmation will not be a part of future registration renewals.
DEA Licenses Renewal Frequency
How to Satisfy the Requirement
There are multiple ways to satisfy this new training requirement.
- First, these groups of practitioners are deemed to have satisfied this training:
- Group 1: All practitioners who are board certified in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry from the American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Board of Addiction Medicine or the American Osteopathic Association.
- Group 2: All practitioners who graduated in good standing from a medical (allopathic or osteopathic), dental, physician assistant or advanced practice nursing school in the United States within five years of June 27, 2023, and successfully completed a comprehensive curriculum that included at least eight hours of training on:
- Treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders, including the appropriate clinical use of all drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of a substance use disorder; or
- Safe pharmacological management of dental pain and screening, brief intervention, and referral for appropriate treatment of patients with or at risk of developing opioid and other substance use disorders.
- Second, practitioners can satisfy this training by engaging in a total of eight hours of training on treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders from the groups listed in the DEA guidance. A few key points related to this training:
- The training does not have to occur in one session. It can be cumulative across multiple sessions that equal eight hours of training.
- Past trainings on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders can count toward a practitioner meeting this requirement.
If you received relevant training from one of the groups listed the DEA guidance (PDF) — prior to the enactment of this new training obligation on Dec. 29, 2022 — that training counts towards the eight-hour requirement.
- Training taken to meet the requirements of the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 waiver to prescribe buprenorphine can count towards the eight-hour training requirement.
Training Formats
- Training can occur in a variety of formats, including classroom settings, seminars at professional society meetings or virtual offerings.
Combining Activities
- Training does not have to be completed in one session and can be satisfied through a combination of activities.
If you have questions for the DEA, you can contact ODLP@dea.gov or call the Diversion Control Division Policy Section at 571.362.3260.