Advanced Buprenorphine Education: Best Practices and Emerging Evidence in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

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Advanced Buprenorphine Education: Best Practices and Emerging Evidence in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

DEA Required SUD education certified seal

Created December 2023
Online Course

Overview

Advanced Buprenorphine Education: Best Practices and Emerging Evidence in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment is a 90-minute online course designed for clinicians involved in the treatment of opioid use disorder. This course provides advanced knowledge and skills in the use of buprenorphine, focusing on best practices and emerging evidence in initiation, management, and dosing strategies. Learners will explore specific clinical situations favoring low or high-dose initiation, strategies to address patient discomfort and withdrawal, dosing considerations during stabilization and long-term treatment, indications for injectable extended-release buprenorphine, and alternative treatment options for individuals with unsuccessful attempts at buprenorphine treatment.

The target audience for this advanced level course include: physicians, nurse practitioners/nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, counselors, and other clinicians. Clinicians who see patients with addiction in primary care, emergency/urgent care, treatment center, or general psychiatry settings.

The ACGME competencies include: Patient Care and Procedural Skills, Medical Knowledge, Practice-based Learning and Improvement, and Systems-based Practice.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this educational activity, participants should be able to:

  • Analyze specific clinical situations to determine appropriate low or high-dose buprenorphine initiation strategies based on evidence-based guidelines.
  • Apply strategies to address patient discomfort and mitigate precipitated opioid withdrawal during buprenorphine initiation.
  • Evaluate dosing considerations during stabilization and long-term treatment, tailoring buprenorphine dosing and dosing strategies to individual patient needs.
  • Differentiate indications for injectable extended-release buprenorphine compared to sublingual formulations in the treatment of opioid use disorder.
  • Assess alternative treatment options for individuals with repeated unsuccessful attempts at buprenorphine treatment and implement appropriate strategies for their care.

DEA Education Requirement

As an accredited organization named in Section 1263 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, ASAM certifies that the completion of this course counts toward meeting the DEA requirement for 8 hours of education on substance use disorder(s).



Registration Rates

ASAM Learner TypeRate
ASAM Member$0
Non-Member$0
Associate Member$0
Resident Member*$0
Student Member*$0

*Residents, Fellows-in-training, Interns, and Students must join ASAM to receive a discounted registration rate. Click here to become an ASAM member. National and Chapter membership dues apply. There is no charge for Students to become a Member, but verification of student status is required.

Membership Question?  Call ASAM at 1.301.656.3920, email us, or view the ASAM website for more information.

Refunds & Cancellations

All ASAM eLearning Center refund requests must be made in writing to Education@ASAM.org within 90 days of purchase. Those requesting refunds for courses that are in progress will receive partial refunds or eLearning Center credit. Automatic full refunds will be made for any course with a live-course component that has been cancelled.

Registration Deadline: 12/06/2026

Close Access Date: 01/06/2027

Acknowledgement

This content has been made available in part by an unrestricted educational grant from Indivior. No input or influence from Invidior was included in the development of the educational content. As an ACCME Provider, ASAM follows the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence for Accredited Continuing Education stating that owners and employees of ineligible companies are excluded from participating as planners or faculty, and must not be allowed to influence or control any aspect of the planning, delivery, or evaluation of accredited continuing education. 



Course Instructions

  1. Click on the Contents tab to begin this activity. Complete all modules.
  2. Click Complete Post Test to answer multiple choice questions. Participants will have 10 attempts to pass and must answer 7 out of 10 questions correctly.
  3. Click Complete Evaluation to provide valuable activity feedback. Scroll down on all questions as there may be answer options that expand past the size of the window.
  4. Click the button Claim Medical Credits in the box titled Claim Credits & Certificate. Choose the type of credit and click submit. Click the button View/Print Certificate to save or print your certificate. You can view/print your certificate at any time by visiting the ASAM eLearning Center, clicking Dashboard, and clicking Transcript/Achievements.

Need Assistance?

For assistance logging in, accessing activities, claiming credit, or for other questions or concerns, please check the FAQ page or e-mail Education@ASAM.org

ASAM is proud to offer eSSENTIAL Accessibility to ensure our website is accessible and functional for all our learners while providing free assistive technology for people with the widest possible range of abilities.

Melissa B. Weimer

DO, MCR, FASAM

Melissa Weimer is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine. She is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health and Associate Program Director of the Addiction Medicine Fellowship at Yale University. She is an expert in hospital-based care for patients with substance use disorders and has worked with colleagues to develop successful hospital-based Addiction Medicine Consult Services at both Oregon Health & Science University and Yale University/Yale New Haven Hospital. Dr. Weimer is also a national leader in Addiction Medicine education and has developed curricula for substance use disorder evaluation and treatment and safe and effective pain treatment. Dr. Weimer serves on the national board of ASAM and is the Chair of the ASAM Clinical Practice Guidelines Methodology and Oversight Committee.

No relevant financial disclosures.

Stephen Holt

MD, MS, FACP, FASAM

Dr. Holt has been an attending physician at Yale-New Haven Hospital since 2008 and is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. He is the Director of the Yale Addiction Recovery Clinic and the Associate Program Director for Yale's Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency Program.  He is board-certified in Addiction Medicine and Internal Medicine.  He has published and lectures frequently on a variety of addiction medicine topics, and has won numerous teaching awards at the local, regional, and national level. 

No relevant financial disclosures.

Susan L. Calcaterra

MD, MPH, MS

University of Colorado School of Medicine

Dr. Susan Calcaterra is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine and is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. At the University of Colorado Hospital, she serves as the Medical Director of the Addiction Consultation Service and Associate Program Director of the Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program. Dr. Calcaterra's research on innovative methods to expand addiction treatment to hospitalized patients is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Clinically, she practices hospital medicine and addiction medicine in the hospital setting.

No relevant financial disclosures.

Accreditation & Credit Designation Statements

Joint Accreditation Statement
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In support of improving patient care, the American Society of Addiction Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Physicians

The American Society of Addiction Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses

This activity awards 1.5 Nursing contact hours.

Pharmacy

This activity will offer 1.5 pharmacy contact hours (1.5 CEUs). Pharmacists will be asked to provide identifying information (e-Profile ID and DOB in MMDD format) in order to receive credit and allow reporting to CPE Monitor. (UAN: JA0000141-0000-23-002-H08-P)

PAs
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ASAM has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 1.5 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. Approval is valid until 12/06/2026. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

Social Workers

As a Jointly Accredited Organization, ASAM is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 1.5 general continuing education credits.

IPCE Credit

This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 1.5 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.

National Board for Certified Counselors ACEP

The American Society of Addiction Medicine has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7062. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The American Society of Addiction Medicine is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

California Association for Drug/Alcohol Educators (CAADE)

This educational program is approved by CAADE: #CP40 999 1225.

California Association of DUI Treatment Centers (CADTP)

This educational program is approved by CADTP: #205.

California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP)

This educational program is approved by CCAPP: #OS-20-330-1224.

Continuing Education Credits (CEUs)

Upon completion of the activity and online evaluation, all other participants may request a certificate of participation. Participants may submit this certificate of participation to their professional organization/institute as documentation for completing this accredited continuing activity.

Maintenance of Certification (MOC) or Continuing Certification Programs (CCP)

This activity meets the requirements for MOC/CCP for the following primary physician boards and for state licensing CME requirements. MOC Credit is only reported for ABA, ABP, ABIM, and ABS. By completing the online credit application and evaluation, the learner permits ASAM to report credits to the appropriate Board. Learn more.

  • American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)
  • American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM)
  • American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM)
  • American Board of Pediatrics (ABP)
  • American Board of Surgery (ABS)
  • American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN)
  • American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM)
  • Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)
    • Through an agreement between the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Canada, medical practitioners participating in the Royal College MOC Program may record completion of accredited activities registered under the ACCME’s “CME in Support of MOC” program in Section 3 of the Royal College’s MOC Program.

Disclosure Information

In accordance with disclosure policies of ASAM and Joint Accreditation, the effort is made to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all CME/CE activities. These policies include mitigating all relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies for the Planning Committees and Presenters. All activity Planning Committee members and Presenters have disclosed all financial relationship information. The ASAM CE Committee has reviewed these disclosures and determined that the relationships are not inappropriate in the context of their respective presentations and are not inconsistent with the educational goals and integrity of the activity.

Key:

Complete
Failed
Available
Locked
Complete Module
Begin self-paced component package.
Begin self-paced component package. This activity will take 90 minutes to complete. This activity was last reviewed and updated in December 2023.
Complete Post Test
10 Questions  |  10 attempts  |  7/10 points to pass
10 Questions  |  10 attempts  |  7/10 points to pass
Complete Evaluation
14 Questions
Complete Presenter Evaluation
5 Questions
Enter Pharmacist CPE Monitor Information (Required for Pharmacists)
2 Questions
2 Questions Pharmacists and Pharmacist Technicians are required to enter their CPE Monitor reporting information. All other health professionals, including physicians, social workers, nurses, etc., should skip this step.
Claim Credit & Certificate
Up to 1.50 medical credits available  |  Certificate available
Up to 1.50 medical credits available  |  Certificate available Participants should claim only the credits commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.