Meeting the new DEA Education Requirements on Substance Use Disorders

Dear Faculty,

The following report helps answer your questions regarding the new education mandate and provides a link for resources (see end of this document) to help you easily access the resources needed to meet these new requirements. Please note that many of these resources are free. We will continue to update and provide additional resources as they become available. 

On December 29, 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 enacted a new one-time, eight-hour training requirement for all Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)-registered practitioners on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders. Below is information on this new requirement.

Who is responsible for satisfying this new training requirement?

• All DEA-registered practitioners

How will practitioners be asked to report satisfying this new training requirement?

• Beginning on June 27, 2023, practitioners will be required to 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.
  • Please note that the current 2-hour mandatory training, Opioid Prescribing Controlled Substances can also count toward this 8-hour training.
  • There is currently no need to upload any documentation to the Florida Board of Medicine. When going through the DEA Registration process, practitioners can simply check off a box to confirm their completion of the training requirement. However, it is advisable to maintain copies of your CME documentation in case they are requested or in the event that the DEA or Florida Board makes changes to the proof requirements at a later time.

What is the deadline for satisfying this new training requirement?

• The deadline for satisfying this new training requirement 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.

How can practitioners satisfy this new training requirement?

• There are multiple ways that practitioners can satisfy this new training requirement.
• 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 below. 
  • Links to resources provided at the end of this document

A few key points related to this training:

1. The training does not have to occur in one session. It can be cumulative across multiple  sessions that equal eight hours of training.
2. Past trainings on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders can count towards a practitioner meeting this requirement. In other words, if you received a relevant training from one of the groups listed below— prior to the enactment of this new training obligation on December 29, 2022—that training counts towards the eight-hour requirement.
3. Past DATA-Waived trainings count towards a DEA registrant’s 8-hour training requirement.
4. Trainings can occur in a variety of formats, including classroom settings, seminars at professional society meetings, or virtual offerings.

What accredited groups may provide trainings that meet this new requirement?

• The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)
• The American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP)
• The American Psychiatric Association (APA)
• American Medical Association (AMA)
• Any other organization accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (AACCME) or the Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition (CCEPR), whether directly or through an organization accredited by a State medical society that is recognized by the ACCME or CCEPR
• Any other organization approved or accredited by the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, the ACCME, or the CCEPR
• The American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or any organizations accredited by the AOA to provide continuing medical education
• The American Dental Association (ADA)
• The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS)
• The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)
• The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA)
• The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)

The following groups of practitioners are deemed to have satisfied this training:

• Group 1: All practitioners that 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 that 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.

We hope this information is helpful. For information regarding the DEA Diversion Control Division, please visit www.DEAdiversion.usdoj.gov. If you have any additional questions on this issue, please contact the Diversion Control Division Policy Section at (571) 362-3260.

New mandated training for DEA-authorized prescribers: DEA Training Course

Register Now

Expiration Date: May 31st, 2024 
Credit(s): 8 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ 
(Enduring Material - Co-Provided with CCO) 
Original Program Date: June 8, 2023

Your FMA membership saves $100 on this eight-hour course 
Non-Member Price: $300.00 
Member Price: $200.00

All Florida-licensed physicians and many other healthcare professionals (DDS, DMD, PA, ARNP, etc.) have an account with the FMA. This does not mean membership.

Signing in is required to purchase and complete CME courses.

FMA has the course you need to meet the new mandatory training requirement for DEA-authorized prescribers. 

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 introduced a new mandatory training requirement for all practitioners registered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). These prescribers will be required to complete eight hours of training focused on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders. Starting June 27, DEA-authorized prescribers will be required to affirm they have completed this mandatory one-time training by checking a designated box on their online DEA registration form, regardless of whether they are applying for initial registration or renewing their existing one. The FMA online CME catalog includes the course to fulfill this requirement. Your FMA membership saves $100 on this eight-hour course, which features nine recorded modules that address various aspects of treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders. Upon finishing the course, learners will have the ability to print a certificate in their FMA profile as proof of having met the training requirement.

LINKS:

More information regarding the new requirement:

Informational Documents (usdoj.gov)
Recommendations for Curricular Elements in Substance Use Disorders Training | SAMHSA

Resources with online courses where you can meet the new requirement:
Please note that many of these resources are free. We will continue to update and provide additional resources as they become available.

Substance Use Disorders and Addiction Education to Meet New DEA Requirements | AMA Ed Hub (ama-assn.org)

ASAM eLearning: Addiction Education For Prescribers

ACEP // SAMHSA and the DEA Release Guidance Regarding New Educational Requirements around the Treatment of Substance Use Disorder

As an ACCME-accredited CME provider with Commendation, ACP offers a wide variety of activities that count toward meeting this new requirement. Choose from a curated list at ACP's SUD Hub.