Overview

Welcome to the ASAM Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Course. This course covers all medications and treatments for opioid use disorder, and provides the required education needed to obtain the waiver to prescribe buprenorphine. ASAM is an approved provider by CSAT/SAMHSA of DATA 2000 training. 

Getting Started

Please log in to begin. If you do not know your password, or you have forgotten it, select "Forgot Password" and you will be emailed a link to reset your password. Once you have completed the live course, return here to claim CME for the course. If you have any questions, please contact education@ASAM.org.

Learning Objectives 

Module 1 

1. Assess patients for the full spectrum of harmful opioid use including misuse and use disorders
2. Describe the current epidemiologic trends in opioid misuse including overdose and use disorders
3. Recall opioid use neurobiology as it applies to the development of an opioid use disorder and relapse risk
4. Summarize the laws regulating office-based opioid treatment including the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 and the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016
5. Summarize the clinical pharmacology, efficacy and safety of methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone in treating opioid use disorders

Module 2

1. Identify and assess patients who are appropriate for treatment with medications for an opioid use disorder in an office-based setting
2. Describe procedures for setting up office systems to support medication prescribing for opioid use disorders
3. Describe procedures for initiating, stabilizing, maintaining, monitoring and modifying treatment of patients on buprenorphine or naltrexone

Module 3

1. Summarize the assessment and management of patients with psychiatric and medical co-morbidities associated with opioid use disorders
2. Describe unique issues of treating adolescents, young adults, pregnant and postpartum patients maintained on medications for opioid use disorders
3. Summarize acute and chronic pain management strategies for patients with an opioid use disorder

Overall

Apply for a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine to patients with opioid use disorder

Accreditation & Disclosures

Date of Release: July 2015
Approved Through: July 2023

ACCME Accreditation Statement

The American Society of Addiction Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA Credit Designation Statement

The American Society of Addiction Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 8 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

ABAM Transitional Maintenance of Certification (tMOC)

This course has been designated as an approved CME Activity by the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM). Physicians enrolled in the ABAM Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program can apply a maximum of 8 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ to the CME requirement for Part II: Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment.

Disclosures

In accordance with the disclosure policies of ASAM and the ACCME, the effort is made to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all educational activities. These policies include resolving all conflicts of interest between the CME Committee, Planning Committee and faculty, and commercial interests that might otherwise compromise the goal and educational integrity of this activity. All CME Committee, Planning Committee and faculty participating in the activity have disclosed all relevant financial relationships with commercial interests. The CME Committee has reviewed these disclosures and determined that the planning committee and faculty relationships are not inappropriate in the content of their respective presentations and are not inconsistent with the educational goals and integrity of the activity.

ASAM Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Course Program Planning Committee

ASAM CME Committee

ASAM Medical Education Council

Target Audience

1. Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Specialists, and Physician Assistants who wish to obtain a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine in office-based treatment of opioid use disorder.
2. Clinicians and healthcare team members working with physicians who prescribe buprenorphine in office-based treatment of opioid use disorder.

How to Claim CME

1. Fill out the survey by clicking the “Fill out Survey” button in the box titled “Complete Live Portion Evaluation” at the end of the training.
   Pro tip: Be sure to scroll down on all Likert Scale questions. There are answers that expand past the size of the survey window.
2. Submit the evaluation. (The next box should activate and the evaluation box should turn green with a white check mark)
3. Click the button “Claim Medical Credits” in the box titled “CME Certificate”
4. Choose the type of credit (Physician or Non-physician) and click submit.
5. Click the button “View/Print Certificate” to save or print your certificate
   Pro tip: If you ever lose your certificate, you can come back to the e-Learning Center and view it on your Transcript (found on Dashboard)

How to Apply for a Waiver

Physicians

• Fill out the Waiver Notification Form on SAMHSA’s website.
• Submit copies of your training certificate(s) to SAMHSA by email: infobuprenorphine@samhsa.hhs.gov or fax: 301.576.5237.

SAMHSA reviews waiver applications within 45 business days of receipt. If approved, you will receive a letter via email that confirms your waiver and includes your prescribing identification number.

Waiver applications are forwarded to the DEA. DEA regulations require your prescribing identification number to be included on all buprenorphine prescriptions for opioid dependency treatment, along with your regular DEA number.

If you have not received confirmation of receipt of your application, or if it has been more than 45 business days since submitting it, contact CSAT by email: infobuprenorphine@samhsa.hhs.gov or call 866.287.2728.

Other Approved Prescribers

Apply

NPs and PAs who have completed the 24 hours of required training may seek to obtain a DATA 2000 waiver for up to 30 patients by completing the Waiver Notification Form. Effective February 27, 2017, SAMHSA will only accept electronic submissions of the NOI.

NPs and PAs may send copies of their training certificates to infobuprenorphine@samhsa.hhs.govor fax them to 301.576.5237. These waiver applications are forwarded to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which will assign the NP or PA a special identification number. DEA regulations require this number to be included on all buprenorphine prescriptions for opioid dependency treatment, along with the NP’s or PA’s regular DEA registration number.

SAMHSA shall review waiver applications within 45 days of receipt. If approved, NPs and PAs will receive a letter via email that confirms their waiver and includes their prescribing identification number. 

Qualify

To qualify for a waiver to treat patients with Opioid Use Disorder, NPs and PAs must:

• Be licensed under state law to prescribe schedule III, IV, or V medications for pain
• Complete no less than 24 hours of appropriate education through a qualified provider
• Through other training or experience, demonstrate the ability to treat and manage OUD
• If required by state law, supervision or working in collaboration with a qualifying physician to prescribe medications for the treatment of OUD may be required.

Please ensure that your state regulations allow you to prescribe buprenorphine and other medications to treat OUD before you apply for the waiver.  Some states may have overriding state legislation that will prevent NPs from prescribing these medications even if Federal law allows it.

Overview of Legislation

Physicians

The Drug Abuse Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA 2000) specifies training is necessary for physicians to obtain a waiver to engage in office‐based treatment of opioid use disorders using drugs approved by the FDA on Schedules III, IV, and V. This course addresses those requirements using a curriculum approved by CSAT/SAMHSA and ASAM, who is one of the national organizations named in the DATA 2000 legislation as eligible to prepare and administer these courses.

Nurse Practitioners & Physician Assistants

On July 22, 2016, President Obama signed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) into law. CARA authorizes qualified NPs and PAs to become waivered to prescribe buprenorphine in office-based settings for patients with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) for a five-year period expiring in October 2021.    

To qualify, NPs and PAs must: 

• Be licensed under state law to prescribe schedule III, IV, or V medications for pain  
• Complete not less than 24 hours of appropriate education through a qualified provider
• Through other training or experience, demonstrate the ability to treat and manage OUD  
• If required by state law, be supervised or work in collaboration with a qualifying physician to prescribe medications for the treatment of OUD

HHS' announcement on November 16, 2016, enables NPs and PAs to immediately begin taking the 24 hours of required training. For the full HHS announcement, click here.

NPs and PAs can begin the training immediately by taking the 8-hour buprenorphine course ASAM currently offers or that other stakeholders offer (see below for more information). The remaining 16 hours will have to be completed with one training provider. ASAM is developing multiple 16-hour training course options and formats, including collaborations with:

• 24-Hour Buprenorphine Curriculum Collaborative with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)
• Clinical Tools, Inc
• Provider's Clinical Support System for Medication-Assisted Treatment (PCSS-MAT)

The ASAM Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Course has been made available in part by an unrestricted educational grant from Indivior, Inc.